Transgenic cotton and sterile insect releases synergize eradication of pink bollworm a century after it invaded the United States
Bruce E. Tabashnik, Leighton Liesner, Peter C. Ellsworth, Gopalan C. Unnithan, Jeffrey A. Fabrick, Steven E. Naranjo, Xianchun Li, Timothy J. Dennehy, Larry Antilla, R. T. Staten, Yves Carrière
Abstract
(Bt). An analysis of computer simulations and 21 y of field data from Arizona demonstrate that the transgenic Bt cotton and sterile insect releases interacted synergistically to reduce the pest's population size. In Arizona, the program started in 2006 and decreased the pest's estimated statewide population size from over 2 billion in 2005 to zero in 2013. Complementary regional efforts eradicated this pest throughout the cotton-growing areas of the continental United States and northern Mexico a century after it had invaded both countries. The removal of this pest saved farmers in the United States $192 million from 2014 to 2019. It also eliminated the environmental and safety hazards associated with insecticide sprays that had previously targeted the pink bollworm and facilitated an 82% reduction in insecticides used against all cotton pests in Arizona. The economic and social benefits achieved demonstrate the advantages of using agricultural biotechnology in concert with classical pest control tactics.