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Lookup NU author(s): Emerita Professor Angharad GatehouseORCiD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.BACKGROUND: As the third most important global food crop, potato plays a vital role in ensuring food security and poverty alleviation. However, its production is severely threatened by the potato tuber moth (Phthorimaea operculella; PTM), a destructive pest that damages foliage during growth and bores into tubers during storage, causing yield losses of 85–100% under severe infestations. Traditional reliance on chemical pesticides poses challenges such as environmental pollution, pesticide residues, and increased production costs, highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives. RESULT: In this study, Cry1C and Cry2A genes were expressed in potato cultivar E3 via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, generating single-copy transgenic lines with high gene expression. Bioassays showed that PTM larvae feeding on transgenic leaves exhibited significantly elevated mortality (>35.4%), with the Cry1C-2 line achieving 60.4% mortality within 24 h. Notably, the highest-expressing Cry1C and Cry2A transgenic lines caused 100% larval mortality within 4 and 7 days, respectively, demonstrating complete lethality against PTM. Histological analysis confirmed that Bt proteins induced midgut epithelial cell lysis and peritrophic membrane disruption, directly leading to insect death. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to demonstrate that Cry2A expression in potato confers resistance to PTM. It provides novel genetic resources for insect-resistant potato breeding and proposes a gene pyramiding strategy to delay the onset of resistance evolution in pest populations. Future research should focus on evaluating field resistance durability and investigating potential synergistic effects between Cry1C/Cry2A and other Bt proteins to develop multi-target pest management systems. © 2025 Society of Chemical Industry.
Author(s): Yan J, Zhou Z, Gatehouse AMR, Ma W, Gao Y
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Pest Management Science
Year: 2026
Volume: 82
Issue: 3
Pages: 2665-2671
Print publication date: 01/03/2026
Online publication date: 25/11/2025
Acceptance date: 12/11/2025
Date deposited: 18/12/2025
ISSN (print): 1526-498X
ISSN (electronic): 1526-4998
Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70403
DOI: 10.1002/ps.70403
ePrints DOI: 10.57711/t78n-7948
Data Access Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors, Weihua Ma and Yulin Gao, upon request.
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