Assessing the Susceptibility of Cruciferous Lepidoptera to Cry1Ba2 and Cry1Ca4 for Future Transgenic Cruciferous Vegetables

ARSTRACT Advances in transgenic plants expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal gene (s) offer a promising alternative to traditional insecticides for control of lepidopteran pests on important cruciferous vegetable crops such as cabbage and cauliflower. A public-private partnership, the Collaboration on Insect Management for Brassicas in Asia and Africa (CIMBAA), was formed in 2005 with the goal of developing dual-gene Bt cauliflower and cabbage, initially for India, to replace the use of broad spectrum, traditional insecticides. As a first step in this effort, the major lepidopteran pests of cruciferous vegetable crops [Plutella xylostella (L.), Pieris rapae (L.), Pieris brassicae (L.), Crocidolomia binotalis (L.), Hellula undalis (F.), Diacrisia obliqua Walker, Spodoptera litura F., and Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner)] were collected over a large geographic area (India, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Australia, and the United States) and tested against purified Cry1Ba2 and Cry1Ca4 toxins, the toxin...