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An assessment of the risk of Bt-cowpea to non-target organisms in West Africa

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Abstract

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata Walp.) is the most economically important legume crop in arid regions of sub-Saharan Africa. Cowpea is grown primarily by subsistence farmers who consume the leaves, pods and grain on farm or sell grain in local markets. Processed cowpea foods such as akara (a deep-fat fried fritter) are popular in the rapidly expanding urban areas. Demand far exceeds production due, in part, to a variety of insect pests including, in particular, the lepidopteran legume pod borer (LPB) Maruca vitrata. Genetically engineered Bt-cowpea, based on cry1Ab (Event 709) and cry2Ab transgenes, is being developed for use in sub-Saharan Africa to address losses from the LBP. Before environmental release of transgenic cowpeas, the Bt Cry proteins they express need to be assessed for potential effects on non-target organisms, particularly arthropods. Presented here is an assessment of the potential effects of those Cry proteins expressed in cowpea for control of LPB. Based on the history of safe use of Bt proteins, as well as the fauna associated with cultivated and wild cowpea in sub-Saharan Africa results indicate negligible effects on non-target organisms.

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Notes

  1. This review also considers the use of Cry2Ab, where appropriate, because a second-generation Bt-cowpea is under development which will use a cry2Ab gene for insect resistance management.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the US Department of Agriculture Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA/FAS) Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program (Borlaug Fellowship Program) under Sponsor Award/Grant Number: 58-3148-2-188/106117 to Purdue University. The award was to LLM through Purdue University and administered through International Programs in Agriculture. The authors are also grateful to the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) for supporting the Bt-cowpea project, which generated the data on Cry1Ab protein expression in cowpea.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, Niamey, Niger

    Malick N. Ba

  2. United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington, DC, USA

    Joseph E. Huesing

  3. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Cotonou, Benin

    Manuele Tamò

  4. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Agriculture and Food, Canberra, Australia

    Thomas J. V. Higgins

  5. Department of Entomology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Barry R. Pittendrigh

  6. Department of Entomology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA

    Larry L. Murdock

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  1. Malick N. Ba
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  2. Joseph E. Huesing
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  4. Thomas J. V. Higgins
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Correspondence to Barry R. Pittendrigh.

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Communicated by N. Desneux.

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Ba, M.N., Huesing, J.E., Tamò, M. et al. An assessment of the risk of Bt-cowpea to non-target organisms in West Africa. J Pest Sci 91, 1165–1179 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-018-0974-0

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