Evaluation of Transgenic Cotton Lines for Resistance to Pink Bollworm and Leaf Feeding Lepidoptera

Abstract

Four Monsanto transgenic lines of Coker -312 containing the gene for endotoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis were compared to Coker-312 and MD51ne for resistance to the pink bollworm (PBW) and leaf-feeding lepidopterans. In 11 samples of 50 bolls per plot, 12 plots per line, collected 7/16 to 8/24, the transgenic lines averaged 0.13 PBW /100 bolls while the controls averaged 5.92 PBW /100 bolls. None of the bolls collected from the transgenic lines on 11/18 contained diapausing PBW larvae, while the control lines averaged 57 diapausing larvae /100 bolls. The transgenic lines generally had less leaf damage caused by beet armyworm, cabbage looper and saltmarsh caterpillar.