Characterization of the spectrum of insecticidal activity of Cry1B.3, Cry1Da_7, and Vip3Cb1 proteins produced by lepidopteran-protected MON 89151 cotton

The spectrum of insecticidal activity of the Cry1B.3, Cry1Da_7, and Vip3Cb1 proteins targeting lepidopteran insect pests produced by MON 89151 cotton was characterized with microbially-produced protein-incorporated diet bioassays against selected insect species from four orders and nine families. Cry1B.3 and Cry1Da_7 are Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins, whereas the Vip3Cb1 protein is derived from Paenibacillus spp. in the P. popilliae-containing clade. Notably, Cry1B.3 has the same functional region as the Cry1B.2 protein in MON 94637 soybean, and Cry1Da_7 is identical to the protein expressed in MON 95379 maize; therefore, existing spectrum of activity data for Cry1B.2 and Cry1Da_7 were utilized to inform the characterization of Cry1B.3 and Cry1Da_7 in MON 89151 cotton. Overall, our results demonstrate that Cry1B.3, Cry1Da_7, and Vip3Cb1 exhibit a narrow spectrum of activity limited to the lepidopteran pests tested. Thus, these insecticidal proteins are valuable additions to the cotton trait portfolio to manage lepidopteran pests with a high degree of specificity.