Q & A Bt MAIZE

Quick Facts Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a common soil bacterium that produces insecticidal proteins. Bt has been used as an insecticide by farmers worldwide for the past 40 years, Genes from the Bt bacterium can be inserted into crop plants to make the plants produce the insecticidal protein and so provide an effective, environmentally safe control of specific insect pests. Maize hybrids with one or more Bt genes (Bt maize) are resistant to some important insect pests. Bt maize hybrids are a highly effective, environmentally safe and economical alternative to conventional insecticide treatments, if targeted pest activity is at economically significant levels. Such hybrids are referred to as "transgenic" hybrids, although not all transgenic hybrids contain insect resistance traits. Bt maize had been thoroughly tested and evaluated worldwide and has been declared to be as safe as conventionally bred maize to humans, animals and the environment though insect-resistant transgenic maize hybrids are highly effective in controlling specific insect pests, their use has raised health and environmental safety concerns. The following series of questions and answers provides an overview of Bt maize and its use in pest management. Questions and Answers Q: What is Bt? A: Bt is shorthand for a common soil inhabiting bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis. Bt also refers to insecticidal products made from this bacterium. Q: What does Bt have to do with insect pests? A: Some strains of Bt control certain groups of insects with crystal proteins. These proteins are considered harmless to humans and non-target species (e.g. birds, beetle, honey bees, etc.). Q: Are there other types of Bt proteins? A: Another group of Bt proteins are called vegetative insecticidal proteins or VIPs. VIPs also are considered harmless to humans and non-target species. Q: What is Bt maize? A. Bt genes can be placed in maize plants. Maize plants containing the gene can produce the Bt protein and are therefore able to control the insects (stem borers) that are susceptible to it. Q: Why use Bt genes in maize? 1

A: Bt proteins sprayed onto plants break down quickly when exposed to UV light. Bt proteins produced in the plant are protected from UV light. Also, several major maize pests are difficult and expensive to control with conventional insecticides, but are susceptible to Bt proteins produced in plant tissues. Q: Have VIPs been used in maize? A: VIP events have been used successfully in cotton and maize. Q: Does each hybrid contain just one event? A: This is true for some hybrids but the trend is towards having at least two events (maize borer and herbicide tolerance) in each hybrid. Q: Will all Bt maize hybrids give the same level of control? A: The level of control of targeted pests and the spectrum of control provided by a maize hybrid is a function of the event(s) it contains. It is better to compare insect control by event rather by hybrid. For example, maize borer control can be expected to be similar among maize hybrids containing the MON810 event. Q: Will Bt maize work well in my area? A: The Bt traits should not affect maize hybrid performance. If the conventional version of the hybrid works well in your area, the Bt version should work well too. Q: Is Bt the only trait genetically engineered into maize? A: Other maize hybrids with genetically engineered traits, such as herbicide resistance, are available. Many other traits e.g. for drought tolerance are in development and will become available in the future. Q: Is maize the only crop genetically engineered with Bt? A: No, several other crops have been modified to produce Bt proteins. However, maize and cotton make up most of the commercial use. Q: Are there other advantages to using Bt maize instead of an insecticide to control maize borers? A: Bt maize will control maize borers without affecting predators and other beneficial insects. This should make management of other pests easier. Q: Are there disadvantages to using Bt maize compared to conventional maize borer control? A: There will be an additional cost to Bt maize seed regardless of whether there is an economic maize borer infestation. Conventional chemical control allows you to wait and see if an infestation develops before investing in insect management. Also, compliance with refuge requirements (see below) may complicate planting, harvest and pest management activities. Some farmers consider the extra cost of the Bt maize seed as insurance so no matter how severe the infestation, the crop is protected from damage. Q: What about the other maize pests I have to deal with every year? A: Bt maize only controls stem borer. It has no effect on other maize pests such as aphids and spider mites. Q: Can I plant Bt maize and forget about insects and mites? A: No, you cannot forget about other insect pests. Scouting and management will still be necessary for other pests. Also, the pests in refuge areas need to be managed conventionally.

Q: What will be the additional cost for Bt maize seed? A: It should cost from xx (dry land) to xx (irrigated) per acre to use a given Bt maize event, depending on seeding rates. There may be additional costs for other traits. In some hybrids, the Bt traits may be available only in combination (stacked traits) with other traits such as herbicide resistance. Q: Where should I use Bt maize in my operation? A: Bt maize should be used only where the risk of stem borer infestation is high. Q: If I am not in a high risk area, how can I justify switching to Bt maize to control stem borers? A: Look at your average expenditure for insect management (scouting, insecticides and spray application) and your average losses to stem borers over the last five years. If your annual total of stem borer management costs and crop value lost are equal to or greater than the cost of changing to Bt maize, you should consider switching to Bt maize. Q: Should I plant all of my maize area to Bt maize? How much to plant also depends on the severity and the consistency of your maize borer problems. Your average annual total of management costs and crop value lost to this insect over the last five years will give you an idea of how much to spend on Bt maize seed. Q: Will stem borers eventually overcome the proteins produced by Bt maize, as has been observed with many insects and various insecticides? A: Insects can develop resistance to Bt proteins. This is a major concern for all Bt crops because they put so much selective pressure on the pest. In order to prevent this resistance development, management plans have been designed that are based on the high dose and the refuge strategies. Q: What is the high dose strategy? A: The idea is to use Bt maize hybrids that produce enough Bt protein to control even partially resistant maize borers. Killing partially resistant maize borers and preventing their mating greatly delays the development of resistance. Q: What is the refuge strategy? A: If a certain area (refuge) is planted with non Bt hybrids then any maize borers coming out of these areas will be susceptible to Bt. They will mate with any survivors from the Bt maize and preserve the genetic susceptibility of the overall population. Q: How does the refuge strategy affect producers? A: At present, growers are expected to plant a certain percentage of Bt maize for maize borer control. Hybrids with a single event for maize borer should only be planted on 80% of a growers area. Dual event hybrids have a lower refuge requirement. Q: Can I plant my refuge in the same field as the Bt maize? A: Yes, the non Bt maize refuge can be planted as strips running the length of the field. These strips need to be at least six to 12 rows wide. Q: I have heard the term refuge in a bag, what is this? A: This is the concept of planting a mixture of Bt maize hybrid seed and non Bt seed (about 5%). This allows the grower to comply with refuge requirements without planting or maintaining a separate refuge.

Q: What can I, as a grower, do to help avoid the development of pests that are resistant to Bt maize? A: Follow the resistance management recommendations provided by your seed company, and the authorities. Use good agronomic practices to avoid unneeded crop stress. Report any suspected failures to the seed company and to local extension entomologists as soon as possible. Q: How do I tell if I have a Bt maize failure? A: Identifying resistance to Bt maize is a complicated process. A few damaged plants in a field may not be a sign that resistance has developed. For example, the occasional susceptible plant may get into a field either from the seed source or as volunteer plants. However, if the frequency of damaged plants seems unusually high, it should be reported to the seed company. Q. Has Bt maize been thoroughly assessed for safety before being authorised? A. Like all genetically modified crops, Bt maize has been approved only because it has been shown to be just as safe as conventional maize. The same applies to food and feed produced from such plants. In order for the necessary safety assessment to take place, the applicant has to carry out comprehensive tests and investigations and submit the data obtained for assessment. Q. Could Bt maize could get out of control in the environment? Bt maize is first and foremost maize. It behaves like normal maize and contains the same substances with one difference: it produces an active substance (Bt protein) which controls certain insect pests. Maize originates from Central America. Plant breeders have adapted it to local conditions so that it can be cultivated here. But maize plants cannot survive outside of cultivated fields. Neither can maize outcross to related plant species, since it does not have any related species in South Africa. Q. Are bees harmed by Bt maize? A. Bees can come into contact with Bt protein through maize pollen. Pollen is rich in proteins and bees collect it to raise their larvae and young. Although maize is not particularly attractive to bees because it does not produce nectar, it does play a role as a source of pollen. If bees are kept near Bt maize fields it is likely that they will collect Bt pollen. According to a Swiss study, however, Bt protein had no adverse effects on bee larvae. In a more recent study, US ecologists evaluated 25 unconnected laboratory studies and found no effect on the survival rate of honeybees. Q. What happens to the Bt protein when it enters the soil? Can it accumulate in the soil over the years? A. Bt maize plants do release Bt protein into the soil, especially through the plant remains that are left on the field after harvesting. Biosafety research projects have investigated the effect of Bt protein on the soil for many years now. The scientists have discovered that the Bt concentrations in the soil are so small that negative impacts on soil organisms such as earthworms are not likely. In addition, Bt protein breaks down quickly in the soil and does not accumulate there. A small proportion of the protein binds to soil components, especially clay particles, and therefore takes longer to break down. But even on fields on which MON810 Bt maize was planted for three years in succession, no Bt protein was detected six months after the harvest.