# Impact of Transgenic Insect-Resistant Maize LD05 on Rhizosphere Soil Bacterial Communities

## TL;DR

This study found that insect-resistant genetically modified corn LD05 does not significantly affect soil bacterial communities compared to its non-modified counterpart.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on the safety of Bt maize LD05 regarding its impact on soil microbial communities.

## Key findings

- No significant differences in bacterial diversity were observed between LD05 and Zheng58.
- Developmental stage was the main factor influencing bacterial community differences.
- Alpha and beta diversity analyses confirmed no major impact from the genetically modified variety.

## Abstract

The artificially modified Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein can target lepidopteran pests, and planting genetically modified crops with insect-resistant traits is environmentally friendly. However, it is still uncertain whether the exogenous insect-resistant proteins in genetically modified crops will affect the soil rhizosphere microorganisms. This study utilized 16S rDNA sequencing technology to analyze the rhizosphere soil of insect-resistant genetically modified corn LD05 and its control variety Zheng58 at five developmental stages: before sowing, seedling stage, jointing stage, silk emergence stage, and maturity stage. Each sample was taken with six biological replicates, resulting in a total of 60 sequencing samples, with an average of 4368 OTUs obtained per sample. Both alpha and beta analyses showed that LD05 and Zheng58 did not have a significant impact on the soil rhizosphere microbial community. The developmental stage rather than the variety was the main factor causing differences in the bacterial community. Overall, there was no significant difference in the bacterial diversity between the insect-resistant genetically modified corn LD05 and its control variety Zheng58. The results provide useful information for understanding the impact of genetically modified crops on soil microbial communities and also provide a theoretical basis for the safety evaluation of LD05.