Since the first discovery of Bt resistant ECB populations to Cry1Fa in Nova Scotia in 2018, more populations of Bt resistant ECB have been found in a number of provinces and one US state (Connecticut). Not only is ECB developing resistance to Cry1Fa, but also to Cry1Ab, Cry1A.105 and Cry2b2. As they develop resistance to one Bt toxin, they are able to more easily overcome the others. This would mean the end of effective ECB Bt hybrids if we don’t delay their spread.
Detection is key to understanding where resistant populations are. Members of the Canadian Corn Pest Coalition want to increase awareness of this issue and encourage everyone to Scout for unexpected damage in ECB Bt corn, Report any findings to their seed provider and provincial specialist and Mitigate those ECB populations by shredding stalks during or shortly after harvest to reduce the spread of these resistant populations. ECB overwinter in the corn stubble left in the fields. If those stalks are shredded, ECB will be killed and won’t be able to overwinter and fly off the following spring to find new fields to infest.
For more info on ECB, Bt resistance and contact info for the provincial specialists across Canada, use the QR code in the infographic or visit cornpest.ca.
A downloadable and printable pdf version of the infographic is available here.
