Laboratory and Field Evaluations of Transgenic Soybean Exhibiting High-Dose Expression of a Synthetic Bacillus thuringiensis cry1A Gene for Control of Lepidoptera

Abstract Transgenic lines of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, expressing a synthetic cry1A gene (tic107) from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), were evaluated in screenhouse and conventional field trials for efficacy against lepidopteran pests. In screenhouse trials, Bt soybean and negative checks (isogenic segregants and parental lines) were evaluated against Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner and Pseudoplusia includens (Walker) in the United States and against A. gemmatalis, Epinotia aporema (Walsingham), Rachiplusia nu (Guenee), and Spilosoma virginica (F.) in Argentina. Bt soybean exhibited virtually complete efficacy against each of these pests, whereas negative checks suffered significant damage. Bt soybean and negative checks also were evaluated in conventional trials against native populations of A. gemmatalis and P. includens in the southeastern United States. Each of these insects caused significant damage to negative checks in one or more locations, whereas Bt soybean exhibited virtually complete effica...