Ecological studies on epigeous arthropod populations of transgenic sugar beet at Friemar (Thuringia, Germany)

From 1997 to 1999 three experimental plots with herbicide-tolerant transgenic sugar beet (LL-hybrid) were used to study species composition, population density and activity of important epigeous predators of insects (Araneae, Carabidae, Staphylinidae). Applications of the herbicide Liberty (glufosinate ammonium) were compared with a conventional treatment of Betanal Progress (desmedipham, ethofumesat, phenmedipham)+Goltix WG (metamitron) and an untreated control. In addition, a conventional sugar beet under mechanical hoeing and a commercial field were available for further comparison. It is difficult to predict any long-term effects of transgenic crops on the epigeous fauna, but there was no evidence of any negative influence within the 3-year period. The findings of this study suggest that stable polyphagous arthropod coenoses can develop in herbicide-resistant sugar beet cultures. Numerous endangered spiders and carabids of the Red Data Book were found on both the transgenic and the conventional sugar beet plots, which further support this conclusion.