MONITORAMENTO PÓS-COMERCIALIZAÇÃO DO POTENCIAL IMPACTO DE SOJA Bt EXPRESSANDO Cry1Ac NA COMUNIDADE DE ARTRÓPODES NÃO ALVO

Abstract

Despite the importance of studies about the potential impact of Bt crops on non-target organisms, there is still little post-market research at the community level, especially on soybean in Brazil. Post-market risk assessment (monitoring) studies of Bt crops are important because the biotechnology effects can take several years to be expressed at the non-target arthropod (NTAs) community. The objective of the work is to evaluate the potential post-market impact of Bt soybean expressing the insecticidal protein Cry1Ac in the community of NTAs associated with the crop in the Southwest region of Goiás. For this, field trials were carried out in Rio Verde and Montividiu, in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 seasons, respectively. The assays were carried out in a randomized block design with four replications and two treatments: Bt soybean expressing Cry1Ac and non-Bt soybean. The NTA community was evaluated using Moericke, Sticky and Pitfall traps, at soybean growth stages V2/3, V5/6, R2/3, R5/6 and R7/8. The potential impact of Bt soybeans on NTAs was assessed using Principal Response Curve (PRC) analysis. We believe that the results of the present work can add to the literature, helping to clarify the potential effects of Bt crops on NTAs. Thus, contributing to the development of more efficient and sustainable pest management strategies in soybean