Biochemical analyses demonstrate that Bt maize has no adverse effects on Eisenia fetida

PLoS One. 2022 Jun 2;17(6):e0269303. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0269303. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

The potential effects of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) maize on non-target organisms should be evaluated before such maize is commercially planted. Earthworms play an indispensable role in the soil ecosystem; act as important bio-indicators of soil quality and environmental pollution. Therefore, earthworms are often used as the object to evaluate the non-target effect of Bt maize. To accelerate the commercialization of transgenic maize in China, a 90-day Eisenia fetida feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential effects of Bt maize line, BT799-which was developed by China Agricultural University and contains the Cry1Ac gene-and its non-Bt conventional isoline-Zheng 58-on E. fetida. Our results showed that the Bt maize line had no significant effects on the growth, reproduction, or enzymatic activities of these earthworms. In summary, Bt maize had no toxic effects on E. fetida.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins / toxicity
  • Ecosystem
  • Oligochaeta*
  • Plants, Genetically Modified* / toxicity
  • Soil / chemistry
  • Zea mays / genetics

Substances

  • Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins
  • Soil

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number: 32071546 awarded to Xinyuan Song]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There was no additional external funding received for this study.