GENETICALLY MODIFIED CORN ON Spodoptera frugiperda AND Helicoverpa zea CONTROL IN SINALOA, MEXICO Luis. A. Aguirre-Uribe*, Agustín Hernández-Juárez, Gustavo A. Frías-Treviño, Mariano Flores-Dávila, Ernesto Cerna-Chávez, Jerónimo Landeros-Flores. Departamento de Parasitología. Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro. Calzada Antonio Narro # 1923, Buenavista, Saltillo; Coahuila, México. INTRODUCTION MATERIALS AND METHODS Two GM corn hybrids were used for this research; Agrisure Viptera 3111 and Agrisure 3000 GT, both effective to control Spodoptera frugiperda and Helicoverpa zea and their respective isolines provided by Syngenta Agro S.A. Research was carried out at El Dorado and Navolato, Sinaloa; Mex., using an experimental design with 8 treatments that included insecticide control(CP) and 4 replicates. Davis scale (Davis et al. 1992); (1=no damage to 9= severe damage) was used to evaluate fall armyworm and length (cm) of damaged corncobs for corn earworm evaluation. A proc ANOVA and a Tukey (P< 0.05) multiple range tests was conducted using the SAS statistic software (SAS, 2002) for variables analyzed. Different corn hybrids have been genetically modified (GM) with the insertion of genes that express the ∂-endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) (Bruck et al. 2006), in which the plant expresses the protein with insecticidal activity primarily against Lepidoptera and some Coleoptera insects (Silva, 2005). In Mexico, GM corn planting is not authorized for commercial purposes; however, Bt maize planting was permitted under biosafety conditions to test their pest control effectiveness. The objective of this research was to evaluate Agrisure Viptera 3111 and Agrisure 3000 GT corn hybrids expressing B. thuringiensis toxins on S. frugiperda and H. zea control in Sinaloa, Mexico. RESULTS Fig. 1. Foliar damage and plants with damage by fall armyworm and corncob damage and ears with damage by corn earworm in Agrisure Viptera 3111 and isoline corn at El Dorado, Culiacán; Sinaloa. CP= Crop Protection. Fig. 2. Foliar damage and plants with damage by fall armyworm and corncob damage and ears with damage by corn earworm in Agrisure 3000 GT and isoline corn at Navolato, Sinaloa. CP= Crop Protection.  Agrisure 3000 GT and Agrisure Viptera 3111 hybrids significantly reduced foliar damage (Davis scale) and % plants damaged by fall armyworm S. frugiperda. and corncob lesion size and % cobs damaged by corn earworm, H zea, while the isolines were highly susceptible, with a greater number of plants with injuries and higher foliar and corncob damage at Culiacan and Navolato (Figs. 1 and 2).  This evaluation shows that the GM corn with B. thuringiensis toxin provides permanent protection and not seriously affected by fall armyworm and corn earworm, while insecticidal control to prevent ear damage in field corn is difficult and generally not cost effective and does not significantly reduce fall armyworm damage.  Bt Agrisure Viptera 3111 and Agrisure 3000 GT, probe to be resistant to both pests, increasing the chances to obtain a better grain quality and higher yield. DISCUSSION Bruck, J. D., Lopez, M. D., Lewis L. C., Prasifka J. R. and R. D. Gunnarson Effects of Transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis Corn and Permethrin on Nontarget Arthropods. J. Agric. Urban Entomol. 23(3): Davis, F. M.; S. S. NG. and W. P. Williams Visual rating scales for screening whorl-stage corn for resistance to fall armyworm. Miss. Agric. Agric. For. Exp. Sta. Technical Bull Pag. S.A.S. Institute The SAS System for Windows, Release 9.0. SAS, Institute, Cary N. C. U.S.A. Silva, C. C. A Maíz Genéticamente Modificado. AGRO-BIO. Bogotá, Colombia. Pág. 60. LITERATURE CITED