The Problems Driving Resistance to Bt Crops—and Some Proposed Solutions
Cotton and corn are threatened by growing resistance in the pest Helicoverpa zea (a.k.a. bollworm or corn earworm) to the insecticidal properties of Bt crops. Two researchers identify contributing factors and identify insecticide resistance management practices that could help slow the problem.
Maintaining Susceptibility to Insecticidal Traits in Populations of Corn Pests
Should growers that use Bt crops plant a separate nearby refuge field of non-insecticidal crops, or use a blended mixture of seeds that produce both in the same field?
Common Corn Pest Presents Major Challenge to Bt Crops
By Andrew Porterfield The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a major corn pest in South America, known to devour corn crops from Argentina to the Southeastern United States. Farmers have […]
How Climate Change May Accelerate Corn Earworm’s Resistance to Bt Crops
Add “crop pests developing resistance to control methods faster” to the list concerning potential effects of global warming. Entomologists at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the University of Maryland […]
Study Finds Many Bt Corn Growers Aren’t Planting Refuge Crops
By Josh Lancette A new study from North Carolina found that corn growers in the state are not planting as much refuge crop as needed, potentially leading to increased insect […]
Wild Plants Might Not Work as Refuges for Stem Borers in African Bt Crops
By Josh Lancette When using Bt crops, a constant concern is preventing insect pests from becoming resistant. According to a paper published in the Journal of Economic Entomology that contains […]
Scientists Discover How Bollworm Becomes Resistant to Bt Crops
Bt crops are plants that have been genetically-engineered to produce proteins that are harmless to humans but are toxic to some devastating insect pests. The proteins are produced by genes […]