Colorado potato beetle resistance management strategies for transgenic potatoes

NewLeaf potatoes could provide substantial ecological and economic benefits to potato growers. A concern with NewLeaf potatoes, however, is that Colorado potato beetle may develop resistance to the Bt endotoxin because of the intense selection pressure imposed by its constant presence in the transgenic crop. Before these cultivars were released, however, entomologists throughout North America conducted biological research needed for a strategy to prevent or delay resistance in Colorado potato beetle. This paper describes the considerations and research behind the proposed strategy. Because NewLeaf potatoes express a relatively constant and high concentration of Bt endotoxin throughout the foliage of each plant, reducing selection for resistance must come from planting standard potatoes as a refuge for susceptible beetles. Avoiding resistance through random mixtures of NewLeaf and standard potatoes was evaluated in laboratory and field studies. The conclusion from this research was that the seed mixture would not provide an effective refuge. The most effective alternative refuge was judged to be a block of standard potatoes planted in the same field as the NewLeaf potatoes. By allowing susceptible beetles to survive in their fields, potato growers might sustain the benefits of very effective controls.