Data from: Bt rice plants may protect neighbouring non-Bt rice plants against the striped stem borer, Chilo suppressalis

The area planted with insect-resistant genetically engineered crops
expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) genes has greatly increased in many
areas of the world. Given the nearby presence of non-Bt crops (including
those planted as refuges) and non-crop habitats, pests targeted by the Bt
trait have a choice between Bt and non-Bt crops or weeds, and their host
preference may greatly affect insect management and management of pest
resistance to Bt proteins. In this study we examined the oviposition
preference of the target pest of Bt rice, Chilo suppressalis, for Bt vs.
non-Bt rice plants as influenced by previous damage caused by C.
suppressalis larvae. The results showed that C. suppressalis females had
no oviposition preference for undamaged Bt or non-Bt plants but were
repelled by conspecific-damaged plants whether Bt or non-Bt. Consequently,
C. suppressalis egg masses were more numerous on Bt plants than on
neighbouring non-Bt plants both in greenhouse and in field experiments due
to the significantly greater conspecific damage on non-Bt plants. We also
found evidence of poorer performance of C. suppressalis larvae on
conspecific-damaged rice plants when compared to undamaged plants. GC-MS
analyses showed that larval damage induced the release of volatiles that
repelled mated C. suppressalis females in wind tunnel experiments. These
findings suggest that Bt rice could act as a dead-end trap crop for C.
suppressalis and thereby protect adjacent non-Bt rice plants. The results
also indicate that the oviposition behavior of target pest females should
be considered in the development of Bt resistance management strategies.