Areawide Suppression of European Corn Borer with Bt Maize Reaps Savings to Non-Bt Maize Growers

Authors

W. D. Hutchinson, University of Minnesota - Twin CitiesFollow
E. C. Burkness, University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
P. D. Mitchell, University of Wisconsin - MadisonFollow
R. D. Moon, University of MinnesotaFollow
T. W. Leslie, Long Island University
S. J. Fleischer, Pennsylvania State University
M. Abrahamson, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
K. L. Hamilton, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
K. L. Steffey, University of Illinois, Urbana
M. E. Gray, University of Illinois, Urbana
R. L. Hellmich, USDA-ARS, Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit, Genetics Laboratory, Ames, IA
L. V. Kaster, Syngenta Seeds Inc., Slater, IA
Thomas E. Hunt, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Robert J. Wright, University of NebraskaFollow
K. Pecinovsky, Iowa State University
T. L. Rabaey, Iowa State University
B. R. Flood, Del Monte Foods, Rochelle, IL
E. S. Raun, Pest Management Co., Lincoln, NE

Date of this Version

10-8-2010

Comments

Published in Science Vol. 330, Issue 6001, pp. 222-225; doi: 10.1126/science.1190242
http://0-www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/330/6001/222

Abstract

Transgenic maize engineered to express insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has become widely adopted in U.S. agriculture. In 2009, Bt maize was planted on more than 22.2 million hectares, constituting 63% of the U.S. crop. Using statistical analysis of per capita growth rate estimates, we found that areawide suppression of the primary pest Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer) is associated with Bt maize use. Cumulative benefits over 14 years are an estimated $3.2 billion for maize growers in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, with more than $2.4 billion of this total accruing to non-Bt maize growers. Comparable estimates for Iowa and Nebraska are $3.6 billion in total, with $1.9 billion for non-Bt maize growers. These results affirm theoretical predictions of pest population suppression and highlight economic incentives for growers to maintain non-Bt maize refugia for sustainable insect resistance management.

Includes Supporting Material: Text, Tables S1 to S5, and Figures S1 and S2.
Supporting data set -- O. nubilalis larval and moth data, by year and by state -- in Microsoft Excel format is packaged as a compressed archive, in *.zip format and attached (below) as an "Additional file".