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Poult Sci 2008. 87:475-479. doi:10.3382/ps.2007-00217
© 2008 Poultry Science Association
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METABOLISM AND NUTRITION

Performance of Laying Hens Fed Diets Containing DAS-59122-7 Maize Grain Compared with Diets Containing Nontransgenic Maize Grain

C. M. Jacobs*, P. L. Utterback*, C. M. Parsons*,1, D. Rice{dagger}, B. Smith{dagger}, M. Hinds{dagger}, M. Liebergesell{dagger} and T. Sauber{dagger}

* Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801; and {dagger} Pioneer Hi-Bred, Johnston, IA 50131

1 Corresponding author: poultry{at}uiuc.edu


   ABSTRACT
TOP
 ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
An experiment using 216 Hy-Line W-36 pullets was conducted to evaluate transgenic maize grain containing the cry34Ab1 and cry35Ab1 genes from a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strain and the phosphinothricin ace-tyltransferase (pat) gene from Streptomyces viridochromogenes. Expression of the cry34Ab1 and cry35Ab1 genes confers resistance to corn rootworms, and the pat gene confers tolerance to herbicides containing glufosinate-ammonium. Pullets (20 wk of age) were placed in cage lots (3 hens/cage, 2 cages/lot) and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 corn-soybean meal dietary treatments (12 lots/treatment) formulated with the following maize grains: near-isogenic control (control), conventional maize, and transgenic test corn line 59122 containing event DAS-59122-7. Differences between 59122 and control group means were evaluated with statistical significance at P < 0.05. Body weight and gain, egg production, egg mass, and feed efficiency for hens fed the 59122 corn were not significantly different from the respective values for hens fed diets formulated with control maize grain. Egg component weights, Haugh unit measures, and egg weight class distribution were similar regardless of the corn source. This research indicates that performance of hens fed diets containing 59122 maize grain, as measured by egg production and egg quality, was similar to that of hens fed diets formulated with near-isogenic corn grain.

Key Words: Cry34Ab1 • Cry35Ab1 • corn rootworm • egg production • egg quality


   INTRODUCTION
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Western corn rootworms are responsible for a large amount of crop damage in the United States each year (Metcalf, 1986). Thus, the development of a corn root-worm-resistant maize strain has great economic and biological benefits. The transgenic maize line 59122 has been modified to contain event DAS-59122-7, consisting of the cry34Ab1 and cry35Ab1 genes from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner strain PS149B1 and the phosphinothricin acetyltransferase (pat) gene from Streptomyces viridochromogenes. Coexpression of the Cry34Ab1 and Cry35Ab1 proteins confers resistance to corn rootworms, and expression of the pat protein confers tolerance to herbicides containing glufosinate-ammonium as the active ingredient (i.e., Liberty, Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany).

Some previous studies have evaluated the nutritional value of transgenic maize grains for broiler chickens by feeding diets containing transgenic maize grain and also diets composed of nontransgenic maize with a comparable genetic background (Brake and Vlachos, 1998; Sidhu et al., 2000; Brake et al., 2003, 2005; Taylor et al., 2003a,b,c, 2005). Few such studies have been conducted with laying hens (Aulrich et al., 1998; Aeschbacher et al., 2005; Halle et al., 2006). The objective of the current study was to compare the performance of laying hens fed diets containing 59122 transgenic corn with the performance of those fed diets containing nontransgenic control corn.


   MATERIALS AND METHODS
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IA-CUC) and the Biosafety committees of the University of Illinois approved all animal care, housing, and handling procedures. Two hundred sixteen Hy-Line W-36 pullets were obtained from Hy-Line Hatchery (Warren, IN) and fed the same diet until 20 wk of age. This common diet met or exceeded all nutritional requirements of developing pullets (NRC, 1994). The pullets were then moved into a caged layer house of commercial design with water and feed provided ad libitum. The birds were randomly placed into "cage lots" (2 adjacent raised wire cages, 30 x 46 cm each, containing 3 hens per cage) for a 4-wk acclimation period. Cage lots were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments consisting of standard corn-soybean meal mash diets formulated with a nontransgenic near-isogenic control corn (corn with a genetic background similar to the transgenic corn; control), a nontransgenic commercial corn (Pioneer hybrid 3394), or transgenic corn grain containing event DAS-59122-7 (59122). Each dietary treatment was assigned to 12 cage lots (replicates) for a total of 72 hens per treatment.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, grew all corn sources. The 59122 grain was sourced from corn plants that received 2 sequential applications of glufosinate-ammonium herbicide (Liberty). The control and commercial hybrid grains were produced in isolation (201 m) from the 59122 maize production plot to avoid cross-pollination. Eurofins Laboratories (Des Moines, IA) analyzed samples of each grain source and soybean meal for moisture (930.15), CP (990.03), crude fat (920.39), crude fiber (962.09), ash (942.05), calcium, phosphorus (985.01 with modification), tryptophan (988.15 with modification), sulfur-containing amino acids Met and Cys (994.12 with modification), and all other amino acids (982.30 with modification), all according to Association of Official Analytical Chemists International methods (2007). Pioneer Hi-Bred (Urbandale, IA) performed the gross energy analysis (1271 bomb calorimeter, Parr Instruments, Moline IL). The analyzed nutrient compositions of the test corns and soybean meal (Table 1Go) were used in diet formulations. The analyzed protein content of the control, 59122 transgenic, and commercial corn was 7.7, 8.5, and 7.2%, respectively, and the analytical values for other proximate components, minerals, and amino acids were similar among the 3 corns.


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  		Table 1. Nutrient composition of test corns and soybean meal used to prepare test diets (as-is basis)
 
The corns were ground to a mean particle size (650 to 700 µm) and all diets were fed in mash form. The composition of the test diets is provided in Table 2Go. All diets contained equal amounts of corn grain (64.75%) and were balanced based on analyzed nutrient composition data to contain equal amounts of nitrogen, gross energy, sulfur amino acids, Lys, Thr, Trp, and Arg. Altering the level of fat inclusion changed dietary energy concentration. The diet containing transgenic corn 59122 was mixed last to reduce the potential for cross-contamination. Diet samples from each batch preparation were submitted to Dairyland Laboratories Inc. (Arcadia, WI) for analysis of moisture (930.15), CP (990.03), crude fat (920.39), ash (942.05), calcium, and phosphorus (985.01), all according to Association of Official Analytical Chemists International methods (2007); samples were submitted to Eurofins Labratories for amino acid analysis by methods described previously. Gross energy was determined by Pioneer as described previously.


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  		Table 2. Ingredient composition of test diets (%)
 
The experiment was divided into three 4-wk phases (phase 1, 24 to 28 wk; phase 2, 28 to 32 wk; and phase 3, 32 to 36 wk). The experiment was started in September and completed in December 2005. Lighting was provided in 15-h photoperiods at the beginning of phase 1, and then increased by 0.5 h weekly to 17 h by the end of phase 1; the 17-h photoperiod was maintained throughout the remaining phases. Live body weights were taken at the start of the study and at the end of each phase, and weight gains were calculated for each phase. Feed intakes (g/hen per d) were measured weekly.

Eggs were collected daily, and egg production and egg mass (grams of egg produced per day) were determined weekly for each phase. Egg weight, number of cracked eggs, and egg grade measures were determined on eggs collected on 2 d of egg production during the last week of each phase. Egg component weights (albumen, yolk, and wet shell) and Haugh units were determined on 4 eggs/cage-lot during the last week of each phase.

Statistical Analysis

Performance and egg quality data were summarized for each phase and for the entire experiment. For all data, the cage lot (2 adjacent cages) was considered to be the experimental unit. Data were analyzed by using PROC MIXED of SAS (SAS Institute, 1990); the model included treatment, phase, and the treatment x phase interaction as fixed effects, and pen (treatment) was designated as a random effect. The true comparison of interest in this trial was that of the 59122 transgenic group vs. the control group. Therefore, estimate statements were used to generate the P-values for comparisons of individual measures; similarity to the control treatment was established when the difference between the 59122 transgenic corn and control treatment groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). False discovery rate, as described by Benjamini and Hochberg (1995), was applied across all measurements to control for multiplicity. Data from the commercial corn hybrid treatment (3394) were used in the estimation of experimental variability; least squares mean values were generated for 3394, but comparisons between 59122 and 3394 were generated only in the event that there were significant differences between the 59122 transgenic and control treatment groups after the false discovery rate was applied. Corn and diet nutrient concentrations for the entire feeding period were summarized by using PROC MEANS of SAS (SAS Institute, 1990).


   RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
REFERENCES
 
Body weight gain and feed intake were not affected (P > 0.05) by dietary treatment (Table 3Go). Egg production was similar between hens fed the 59122 transgenic corn diet and those fed the near-isogenic control diet (Table 3Go). Egg weight, egg mass, and feed efficiency were also not different (P > 0.05) between hens fed diets containing the control or 59122 transgenic corn. Phase changes (P < 0.05) were not unexpected and reflect typical hen performance and production (data not shown).


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  		Table 3. Body weight gain, feed intake, egg production, and production efficiency of hens fed diets containing control or 59122 transgenic corn1
 
Egg component (albumen, yolk, and wet shell) weights were not different (P > 0.05) between hens fed the control or 59122 diet (Table 4Go). Haugh unit values did not differ (P > 0.05) between hens fed the control or 59122 transgenic corn diet, and values fell within the Grade AA category. Weight class distributions (extra large, large, medium, small, and peewee) were not different (P > 0.05) between hens fed the control or 59122 transgenic corn diet (data not shown).


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  		Table 4. Component weights and Haugh unit measures of eggs produced from hens fed diets containing control or 59122 corn1
 
The results found in this study strongly suggest that there were no performance differences between laying hens fed diets made with transgenic corn when compared with laying hens fed diets made with nontransgenic corn. The Bt corn was genetically modified for protection from feeding damage by devastating insect pests and to provide tolerance to an herbicide. No modifications were made to the nutritional composition of the corn (Herman et al., 2007); thus, the nutritional value of DAS-59122-7 corn should be equal to the original line. Several previous studies conducted with broiler chickens (Brake and Vlachos, 1998; Sidhu et al., 2000; Brake et al., 2003, 2005; Taylor et al., 2003a,b,c, 2005) and with laying hens (Aulrich et al., 1998; Aeschbacher et al., 2005; Halle et al., 2006) have shown that growth and laying hen performance has not been influenced by crops genetically modified to confer pesticide resistance or herbicide tolerance. The results of this study are in agreement with these previous studies. The benefits of insect-protected corn, such as increased yield, better plant health, and decreased reliance on chemical pesticides, are all of great importance to the corn grower, and all contribute to economic and environmental benefits.

Received for publication May 31, 2007. Accepted for publication November 7, 2007.


   REFERENCES
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Aeschbacher, K., R. Messikommer, L. Meile, and C. Wenk. 2005. Bt176 corn in poultry nutrition: Physiological characteristics and fate of recombinant plant DNA in chickens. Poult. Sci. 84:385–394.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Association of Official Analytical Chemists International. 2007. Official Methods of Analysis, 17th ed. Assoc. Off. Anal. Chem. Int., Gaithersburg, MD.

Aulrich, K., I. Halle, and G. Flachowsky. 1998. Ingredients and digestibility of corn kernels of the Cesar species and the genetically altered Bt-hybrids in laying hens. Pages 465–468 in Proc. Enfluss von Erzeugung und Verarbeitung auf die Qualität landwirtschaftlicher Produkte. VDLUFA-Kongress, Giessen, Germany.

Benjamini, Y., and Y. Hochberg. 1995. Controlling the false discovery rate: A practical and powerful approach to multiple testing. J. Royal Statist. Soc. Ser. B. 57:289–300.

Brake, J., M. Faust, and J. Stein. 2003. Evaluation of transgenic event Bt11 in broiler chickens. Poult. Sci. 82:551–559.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Brake, J., M. Faust, and J. Stein. 2005. Evaluation of transgenic hybrid corn (VIP3A) in broiler chickens. Poult. Sci. 84:503–512.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Brake, J., and D. Vlachos. 1998. Evaluation of transgenic event 176 "Bt" corn in broiler chickens. Poult. Sci. 77:648–653.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Halle, I., K. Aulrich, and G. Flachowsky. 2006. Four generations feeding GMO-corn to laying hens. Proc. Soc. Nutr. Physiol. 15:114. (Abstr.)

Herman, R. A., N. P. Storer, A. M. Phillips, L. M. Prochaska, and P. Windels. 2007. Compositional assessment of event DAS-59122 maize using substantial equivalence. Reg. Toxicol. Pharmacol. 47:37–47.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

Metcalf, R. L. 1986. Pages vii–xv in Methods for the Study of the Pest Diabrotica. J. L. Krysan and T. A. Miller, ed. Springer-Verlag, New York, NY.

NRC. 1994. Nutritional Requirements of Poultry. 9th ed. Natl. Acad. Press, Washington, DC.

SAS Institute. 1990. SAS/STAT User Guide: Statistics. Release 6.04 ed. SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC.

Sidhu, R. S., B. G. Hammond, R. L. Fuchs, J. N. Mutz, L. R. Holden, B. George, and T. Olson. 2000. Glyphosate-tolerant corn: The composition and feeding value of grain from glyphosate-tolerant corn is equivalent to that of conventional corn (Zea mays L.). J. Agric. Food Chem. 48:2305–2312.[CrossRef][Web of Science][Medline]

Taylor, M. L., G. F. Hartnell, M. A. Nemeth, K. Karunanandaa, and B. George. 2005. Comparison of broiler performance when fed diets containing grain from insect-protected (corn rootworm and European corn borer) and herbicide-tolerant (glyphosate) traits, control corn, or commercial reference corn. Poult. Sci. 84:587–593.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Taylor, M. L., G. F. Hartnell, S. G. Riordan, M. A. Nemeth, K. Karunanandaa, B. George, and J. D. Astwood. 2003a. Comparison of broiler performance when fed diets containing grain from Roundup Ready (NK603), YieldGard x Roundup Ready (MON810 x NK603), nontransgenic control, or commercial corn. Poult. Sci. 82:443–453.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Taylor, M. L., G. F. Hartnell, S. G. Riordan, M. A. Nemeth, K. Karunanandaa, B. George, and J. D. Astwood. 2003b. Comparison of broiler performance when fed diets containing grain from YieldGard (MON810), YieldGard x Roundup Ready (GA21), nontransgenic control, or commercial corn. Poult. Sci. 82:823–830.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Taylor, M. L., Y. Hyun, G. F. Hartnell, S. G. Riordan, M. A. Nemeth, K. Karunanandaa, B. George, and J. D. Astwood. 2003c. Comparison of broiler performance when fed diets containing grain from YieldGard Rootworm (MON863), YieldGard Plus (MON810 x MON863), nontransgenic control, or commercial reference corn hybrids. Poult. Sci. 82:1948–1956.[Abstract/Free Full Text]




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