Efficacy of SmartStax® insect-protected corn hybrids against corn rootworm: The value of pyramiding the Cry3Bb1 and Cry34/35Ab1 proteins☆

Abstract Monsanto Company and Dow AgroSciences have used conventional breeding techniques to develop the combined-trait corn ( Zea mays L.) product MON 89034 × TC1507 × MON 88017 × DAS-59122-7 (“SmartStax ® corn”) that confers insect resistance against key lepidopteran pests and the corn rootworm complex ( Diabrotica spp.), as well as herbicide tolerance. This product contains the Cry3Bb1, Cry34Ab1, and Cry35Ab1 proteins for corn rootworm (CRW) control. Replicated field trials were conducted in 2006 and 2007 to test the efficacy of Cry3Bb1, Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1, and SmartStax under both natural and controlled infestations. In both years, root damage and adult beetle emergence were significantly less for Bt-containing hybrids than for non-Bt controls. In trials with heavy insect pressure, adult beetle emergence (a measure of larval control) was significantly reduced for SmartStax hybrids compared with hybrids with the individual traits and with non-Bt controls. Similarly, strip-plot testing in 2012 in grower fields with high levels of root injury to non-Bt hybrids showed significantly lower feeding on SmartStax than on the non-Bt control or on either single-trait product. In grower fields where single-trait Cry3Bb1 products incurred heavy CRW damage in 2011, SmartStax provided consistent protection against CRW in 2012. The combination of these insecticidal proteins in a single plant provides better rootworm control than current single-trait Bt corn products and represents an effective approach for corn rootworm resistance management.