| Corn rootworms, Diabrotica spp. (Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera), are serious economic insect pests in maize producing regions of the United States. Larvae feed on root tissue causing root pruning that often leads to plant lodging, and potentially severe yield reductions. Traditional management of the corn rootworm often involves the utilization of insecticides.; A maize hybrid containing a Cry3Bb1 protein derived from Bacillus thuringiensis kumamotoensis, displays activity against several species of Diabrotica larvae. Due to the amount of insecticides farmers use for corn rootworm control, this hybrid may have great potential in reducing the amount of insecticides used. Reducing insecticide use may help to conserve beneficial arthropods.; The minute pirate bug, Orius tristicolor White, and green lacewings, Chrysoperla spp., are among the most common generalist predators found in Midwestern maize fields. Additionally, these beneficials are omnivorous and draw on the maize plant for its pollen as a high protein food source. Therefore, this feeding behavior on plant material from Cry3Bb1 hybrids could potentially threaten these beneficials. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
