The corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), is a major pest of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize and cotton in the U.S. Reduced efficacy of Bt plants expressing Cry1 and Cry2 against H. zea has been reported in some areas of the U.S. In this study, we evaluated the occurrence and ear damage of H. zea on transgenic Bt maize expressing Cry proteins or a combination of Vip3A and Cry proteins in the field in Texas in 2018. We found that the occurrence of H. zea larvae and the viable kernel damage area on the ear were not different between non-Bt maize and Bt maize expressing Cry1A.105+Cry2Ab2 and Cry1Ab+Cry1F proteins. A total of 67.5% of the pyramided Bt maize expressing Cry1Ab+Cry1F+Vip3A was damaged by 2nd–4th instar larvae of H. zea. Diet bioassays showed that the resistance ratio against Vip3Aa51 for H. zea obtained from Cry1Ab+Cry1F+Vip3A maize was 20.4 compared to a field population collected from Cry1F+Cry1A.105+Cry2Ab2 maize. Leaf tissue bioassays showed that 7-day survivorship on WideStrike3 (Cry1F+Cry1Ac+Vip3A) cotton leaves was significantly higher for the H. zea population collected from Cry1Ab+Cry1F+Vip3A maize than for a Bt-susceptible laboratory population. The results generated from this study suggest that H. zea has evolved practical resistance to Cry1 and Cry2 proteins. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure the sustainable use of the Vip3A technology in Bt maize and cotton.

Evolution of resistance by pests can reduce the benefits of crops genetically engineered to produce insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Because of the widespread resistance of Helicoverpa zea to crystalline (Cry) Bt toxins in the United States, the vegetative insecticidal protein Vip3Aa is the only Bt toxin produced by Bt corn and cotton that remains effective against some populations of this polyphagous lepidopteran pest. Here we evaluated H. zea resistance to Vip3Aa using diet bioassays to test 42,218 larvae from three lab strains and 71 strains derived from the field during 2016 to 2020 in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. Relative to the least susceptible of the three lab strains tested (BZ), susceptibility to Vip3Aa of the field-derived strains decreased significantly from 2016 to 2020. Relative to another lab strain (TM), 7 of 16 strains derived from the field in 2019 were significantly resistant to Vip3Aa, with up to 13-fold resistance. Susceptibility to Vip3Aa was significantly lower for strains derived from Vip3Aa plants than non-Vip3Aa plants, providing direct evidence of resistance evolving in response to selection by Vip3Aa plants in the field. Together with previously reported data, the results here convey an early warning of field-evolved resistance to Vip3Aa in H. zea that supports calls for urgent action to preserve the efficacy of this toxin.

The corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea, is a major target pest of the insecticidal Vip3Aa protein used in pyramided transgenic Bt corn and cotton with Cry1 and Cry2 proteins in the U.S. The widespread resistance to Cry1 and Cry2 proteins in H. zea will challenge the long-term efficacy of Vip3Aa technology. Determining the frequency of resistant alleles to Vip3Aa in field populations of H. zea is critically important for resistance management. Here, we provided the first F₂ screen study to estimate the resistance allele frequency for Vip3Aa in H. zea populations in Texas, U.S. In 2019, 128 H. zea neonates per isofamily for a total of 114 F₂ families were screened with a diagnostic concentration of 3.0 μg/cm² of Vip3Aa39 protein in diet-overlay bioassays. The F₂ screen detected two families carrying a major Vip3Aa resistance allele. The estimated frequency of major resistance alleles against Vip3Aa39 in H. zea in Texas from this study was 0.0065 with a 95% CI of 0.0014–0.0157. A Vip3Aa-resistant strain (RR) derived from the F₂ screen showed a high level of resistance to Vip3Aa39 protein, with a resistance ratio of >588.0-fold relative to a susceptible population (SS) based on diet-overlay bioassays. We provide the first documentation of a major resistance allele conferring high levels of Vip3Aa resistance in a field-derived strain of H. zea in the U.S. Data generated from this study contribute to development of management strategies for the sustainable use of the Vip3Aa technology to control H. zea in the U.S.