Cry 1 Ab Crying Over Western Bean?  Official Journal Publication

                                      
First, watch this video clip of a western bean cutworm larva
feeding merrily on Bt-corn.

Second, take a look at the pictures below showing some fungi
growing on corn ears following injuries caused by western bean
cutworms:

          

          

Well, it looks like it is time for Bt-corn enthusiasts like me
to become familiar with words like fumonisin, mycotoxin,
and aflatoxin.  How do you even pronounce these stuff?

Depending on how the mycotoxin data eventually looks like
(yes, we are finding a surprising amount of mycotoxins in the
corn grain samples), it may very well be that the main damage
caused by western bean cutworms on Cry 1 Ab Bt-corn will be
on grain quality.

      

Remember now folks that Bt-corn remains wetter than conventional
corn late in the season.  The main question that I am trying to answer
is whether this wet condition and the timing of injury by western bean
cutworm may result in more favorable growth of mycotoxin-producing
fungi on the Bt-corn ears (versus on conventional corn ears).

I'll go ahead and ask ELISA and let you know what she says.

(ELISA has spoken.  See you in our winter meetings for the results.
Did I mention that ELISA's real name is Veratox Quantitative
Fumonisin Test?  Her twin is Veratox Quantitative Aflatoxin Test).


(How about some movie?)


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 Last Updated on Tuesday, February 6, 2007 by Mike Catangui.