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Bt maize can provide non-chemical pest control and enhance food safety in China |
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| Authors: | Xianming Yang Shengyuan Zhao Bing Liu Yu Gao Chaoxing Hu Wenjing Li Yizhong Yang Guoping Li Lili Wang Xueqing Yang Haibin Yuan Jian Liu Dazhong Liu Xiujing Shen Kris A G Wyckhuys Yanhui Lu Kongming Wu |
| Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China;2. Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Agricultural Pest Management of the Mountainous Region, Institute of Entomology, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China;3. Institute of Plant Protection and Soil Fertility, Hubei Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Wuhan, China;4. College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, China;5. Institute of Plant Protection, Henan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, China;6. Yantai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Yantai, China;7. College of Plant Protection, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang, China;8. College of Plant Protection, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China;9. College of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China;10. State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China;11. State Key Laboratory for Biology of Plant Diseases and Insect Pests, Institute of Plant Protection, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia Chrysalis Consulting, Hanoi, Vietnam |
| Abstract: | China is the world's second-largest maize producer and consumer. In recent years, the invasive fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) has adversely affected maize productivity and compromised food security. To mitigate pest-inflicted food shortages, China's Government issued biosafety certificates for two genetically modified (GM) Bt maize hybrids, Bt-Cry1Ab DBN9936 and Bt-Cry1Ab/Cry2Aj Ruifeng 125, in 2019. Here, we quantitatively assess the impact of both Bt maize hybrids on pest feeding damage, crop yield and food safety throughout China's maize belt. Without a need to resort to synthetic insecticides, Bt maize could mitigate lepidopteran pest pressure by 61.9–97.3%, avoid yield loss by 16.4–21.3% (range ?11.9–99.2%) and lower mycotoxin contamination by 85.5–95.5% as compared to the prevailing non-Bt hybrids. Yield loss avoidance varied considerably between experimental sites and years, as mediated by on-site infestation pressure and pest identity. For either seed mixtures or block refuge arrangements, pest pressure was kept below established thresholds at 90% Bt maize coverage in Yunnan (where S. frugiperda was the dominant species) and 70% Bt maize coverage in other sites dominated by Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée). Drawing on experiences from other crop/pest systems, Bt maize in se can provide area-wide pest management and thus, contribute to a progressive phase-down of chemical pesticide use. Hence, when consciously paired with agroecological and biodiversity-based measures, GM insecticidal crops can ensure food and nutrition security, contribute to the sustainable intensification of China's agriculture and reduce food systems' environmental footprint. |
| Keywords: | Bt maize lepidopteran pest pressure seed mixtures block refuge crop yield mycotoxin contamination |