Abstract: One of the risks posed by transgenic crops is their potential effects on non-target organisms, especially non-target herbivores. In this study, experiments were conducted at two sites in Changxing, Zhejiang, eastern China in three years to assess the effects of transgenic cry1Ab/vip3H+epsps japonica rice (G6H1) and its non-transgenic rice (Xiushui 110, XS110) on rice leafhoppers using the vacuum-suction machine method under field conditions. The results showed that rice leafhopper species included Nephotettix cincticeps (Uhler), Cicadula fascifrons (Stål) and Deltocephalus dorsalis Motschulsky, of which N. cincticeps was the dominant species. Population densities of these three leafhopper species varied depending on tested years and tested sites. However, the tested transgenic rice line did not significantly influence the population densities of these leafhopper species. Population dynamics of N. cincticeps adults and nymphs as well as their total density were similar between transgenic and non-transgenic rice plots in most tested years, although some significant differences were observed in a few tested years. In addition, population dynamics of C. fascifrons and R. dorsalis were also not significantly affected by transgenic rice. In general, the tested transgenic rice line G6H1 has no markedly negative impact on the population of these three rice leafhopper species in the field.

Key words: Transgenic rice, cry1Ab/vip3H, epsps, rice leafhopper, Nephotettix cincticeps, Cicadula fascifrons; Deltocephalus dorsalis, population dynamics