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Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences logoLink to Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
. 2000 Jan 22;267(1439):117–122. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2000.0975

Gene flow in the European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis: implications for the sustainability of transgenic insecticidal maize.

D Bourguet 1, M T Bethenod 1, N Pasteur 1, F Viard 1
PMCID: PMC1690518  PMID: 10687815

Abstract

Strategies proposed for delaying resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins expressed by transgenic maize require intense gene flow between individuals that grew on transgenic and on normal (referred to as refuges) plants. To investigate gene flow in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), the genetic variability at 29 sampled sites from France was studied by comparing allozyme frequencies at six polymorphic loci. Almost no deviations from Hardy-Weinberg expectations occurred, and a high stability of allelic distribution was found among samples collected in the same site over two or three different generations, indicating a high stability of the genetic structure over time. The overall genetic differentiation was low at the region and whole country level, suggesting a high and homogeneous gene flow. These results are discussed in relation to the sustainability of transgenic insecticidal maize.

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Selected References

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