The Promise—and Limits—of Bt Maize to Manage Fall Armyworm in Africa
As fall armyworm continues to threaten food security in Africa, the use of Bt maize offers significant potential to manage the pest. But it will be critical to manage resistance via multi-toxin crop varieties and appropriate use of refuge planting—all in forms accessible to the smallholder farmers that grow nearly all of Africa's maize.
Farmer Feedback: Needs Assessment Reveals Growers’ Views on Corn Insect Pests in Iowa
A survey of corn farmers in Iowa shows which insect pests are of most concern and that most are not seeing failures in management methods such as Bt crops. But they do look to IPM and extension agents for guidance in managing insecticide resistance.
A Complicated Compilation of Hungry Caterpillars on Bt Maize in Africa
On smallholder farms using Bt maize in Africa, the combination of reduced field size and multiple pests presents challenges to insecticide resistance management. A new report in the open-access Journal of Integrated Pest Management offers recommendations for best practices.
Pink Bollworm Versus Bt Cotton: Three Countries, Three Results
A new article in the Journal of Economic Entomology examines varying levels of resistance to Bt toxins developed by the pink bollworm in the United States, China, and India over the last 20 years, illustrating the importance of incorporating refuge crops in Bt systems.