Xiao, Y. and Li, W. and Yang, X. and Xu, P. and Jin, M. and Yuan, H. and Zheng, W. and Soberón, M. and Bravo, A. and Wilson, K. and Wu, K. (2021) Rapid spread of a densovirus in a major crop pest following wide-scale adoption of bt-cotton in china. eLife, 10. ISSN 2050-084X
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops have been widely planted and the effects of Bt-crops on populations of the target and non-target insect pests have been well studied. However, the effects of Bt-crops exposure on microorganisms that interact with crop pests have not previously been quantified. Here, we use laboratory and field data to show that infection of Helicoverpa armigera with a densovirus (HaDV2) is associated with its enhanced growth and tolerance to Bt-cotton. Moreover, field monitoring showed a much higher incidence of cotton bollworm infection with HaDV2 in regions cultivated with Bt-cotton than in regions without it, with the rate of densovirus infection increasing with increasing use of Bt-cotton. RNA-seq suggested tolerance to both baculovirus and Cry1Ac were enhanced via the immune-related pathways. These findings suggest that exposure to Bt-crops has selected for beneficial interactions between the target pest and a mutualistic microorganism that enhances its performance on Bt-crops under field conditions. © Xiao et al.