Abstract：

Insect infestation and weed interference have a seriously negative impact on the growth,yield, and grain quality of maize. In this study, transgenic maize plants harboring three exogenousgenes, cry2Ab, vip3A, and cp4epsps, that were constructed into a single T-DNA were developed forprotection against insects and weeds. The transgene integration sites on the chromosomes in twotransgenic maize events, CVC-1 and CVC-2, were determined using whole genome sequencing andspecific PCR detection. As revealed by laboratory insect bioassays, these two transgenic eventsexhibited strong insecticidal toxicity against three major species of Lepidoptera insects, includingMythimna separata, Helicoverpa armigera, and Spodoptera frugiperda, with mortality rates exceeding 96%, 100%, and 100%, respectively, after six days of infestation. In addition, CVC-1 exhibited ahigh tolerance to glyphosate under field conditions. The successful expressions of cry2Ab, vip3A,and cp4epsps in various tissues at different developmental stages of CVC-1 were validated at thetranscriptional and translational levels using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRTPCR)and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. These findings demonstratedthat the transgenic maize CVC-1 developed using this triple gene construct has excellent insectresistance and herbicide tolerance, which may provide a valuable germplasm resource and datasupport for future maize breeding of insect and weed control.

KeyWords:

maize; insect resistance; herbicide tolerance; insect bioassay; insecticidal toxicity; glyphosate