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Next-Generation Transgenic Cotton: Pyramiding RNAi with Bt Counters Insect Resistance

Protocol
First Online:
Part of the Methods in Molecular Biology book series (MIMB, volume 1902)

Abstract

Transgenic crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins have become a cornerstone in integrated pest management. To counter rapidly increasing pest resistance to transgenic crops producing single Bt toxins, transgenic plant “pyramids” producing two or more Bt toxins targeting the same pest have been widely adopted. However, cross-resistance and antagonism between Bt toxins limit the sustainability of this approach. Here we describe a new type of pyramid combining protection from a Bt toxin and RNA interference (RNAi). We developed and tested transgenic cotton plants producing both Bt toxin Cry1Ac and double-stranded RNA from the global pest Helicoverpa armigera that interferes with its synthesis of juvenile hormone. We discovered that no cross-resistance occurred between these two traits, and they acted independently against a susceptible strain of H. armigera. Computer modeling predicts that if large refuges of non-transgenic host plants are present, pyramided cotton combining Bt and RNAi could delay resistance by 14 to 75 years relative to using Bt cotton alone.

Key words

RNAi Bt Pyramiding Insect resistance Helicoverpa armigera 
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Notes

Acknowledgments

We thank grants (2016ZX08005001-008 to T.Z., 2016ZX08011002-005 to Y.Y.) from the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Agronomy Department, College of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang UniversityZhejiangChina
  2. 2.Agronomy Department, College of Agriculture and BiotechnologyZhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
  3. 3.National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics and Germplasm Enhancement, Cotton Research InstituteNanjing Agricultural UniversityNanjingChina

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