Helicoverpa armigera resistance to Bt technology increasing, says IMAmt

 

The Mato Grosso Cotton Institute (IMAmt) issued a technical statement in partnership with other institutions presenting results that warned about the growing resistance of the caterpillar, Helicoverpa armigera, to plants with Bt technologies. Called “Helicoverpa armigera: threat to Bt cotton crops”, the statement intends to alert cotton producers. 

 

Institute researchers Jacob Crosariol Netto, Guilherme Gomes Roli, Leonardo Scoz, and Erica Soares Martin, along with researcher Rafael Major Pitta from Embrapa and Professor Daniela Lima Viana from the University of Cuiabá, said that the resistance occurs in relation to the proteins that are present along with the Bt technology. According to them, this is the first time that this type of resistance has been registered on cotton. 

 

Helicoverpa was considered as an exotic species in Brazil, but started to be part of the plagues complex of crops in the country since the 2012/2013 season and has caused a lot of damage since then. It is considered by scientists as one of the most dangerous plagues, because of its mobility and high fertility index, being able to attack several hosts. 

 

In this scenario, experts recommended that a crop succession plant should be adopted in order to avoid the use of cultivars that have the same Bt proteins in cotton. Thus, they guarantee that the farmer would be shrinking a significant part of the selection pressure over determined insecticide proteins.