ABSTRACT
In the first year of widespread planting of Bollgard cotton the cotton bollworm unexpectedly became the first pest to be a problem in Bt-transgenic cotton. Field observations revealed that bollworm larvae oviposited on flowers may be able to survive on Bollgard cotton. A laboratory experiment was conducted to compare the growth of larvae developing on Bollgard flowers versus non-Bollgard flowers. Weight was clearly affected very early in the experiment. After only 24 hours of feeding, mean weight of larvae feeding on non-Bollgard cotton was twice as great than those larvae that fed on Bollgard cotton.
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