Impacts of insect-resistant transgenic potatoes on the survival and fecundity of a parasitoid and an insect predator

The impacts of selected transgenic potato lines expressing either the cry1Ac9 or cry9Aa2 gene were evaluated in the laboratory on two beneficial insects, a parasitoid, Apanteles subandinus, and a predator, the Tasmanian lacewing, Micromus tasmaniae. Potato tuberworm larvae (Phthorimaea operculella) reared on transgenic or non-transgenic tubers were exposed to the parasitoid, and then reared to pupae. Percentage parasitism was similar for hosts reared on transgenic or non-transgenic tubers. Male and female adult parasitoids that emerged from hosts reared on transgenic or non-transgenic tubers were paired and released into containers with a non-transgenic tuber infested with P. operculella larvae. There was no significant difference in the percentage of female progeny from parasitoid parents that had developed in larval hosts reared on transgenic tubers compared to those from hosts reared on non-transgenic tubers of the same cultivar. M. tasmaniae larvae were fed green peach aphids, Myzus persicae, reared on transgenic or non-transgenic plants. There was no marked difference in survival of larvae to adults (70–80%) for lacewings fed aphids reared on transgenic or non-transgenic foliage. There was no significant difference between the two treatments for lacewing fecundity. The compatibility of using insect-resistant transgenic potatoes with integrated pest management is discussed.