Since 1998, genetically engineered Bt maize varieties expressing the insecticidal Cry1Ab protein (i.e. event MON 810) have been grown in the European Union (EU), mainly in Spain. These varieties confer resistance against the European and Mediterranean corn borer (ECB and MCB), which are the major lepidopteran maize pests in the EU, particularly in Mediterranean areas. However, widespread, repeated and exclusive use of Bt maize is anticipated to increase the risk of Cry1Ab resistance to evolve in corn borer populations. To delay resistance evolution, typically, refuges of non-Bt maize are planted near or adjacent to, or within Bt maize fields. Moreover, changes in Cry1Ab susceptibility in field populations of corn borers and unexpected damage to maize MON 810, due to corn borers, are monitored on an annual basis. After two decades of Bt maize cultivation in Spain, neither resistant corn borer populations nor farmer complaints on unexpected field damage have been reported. However, whether the resistance monitoring strategy followed in Spain, currently based on discriminating concentration bioassays, is sufficiently sensitive to timely detect early warning signs of resistance in the field remains a point of contention. Moreover, the Cry1Ab resistance allele frequency to Bt maize, which has recently been estimated in MCB populations from north-eastern Spain, might exceed that recommended for successful resistance management. To ensure Bt maize durability in Spain, it is key that adequate resistance management approaches, including monitoring of resistance and farmer compliance with refuge requirements, continue to be implemented and are incorporated in integrated pest management schemes.
Keywords: Bacillus thuringiensis; Bt protein; IRM programmes; a high-dose refuge strategy; bioassays; genetically modified maize; insect resistance; post-market environmental monitoring; transgenic maize.