The Asian corn borer (ACB) is the most devastating pest on maize in the western Pacific region of Asia. Despite broad interests in insecticide resistance, seasonal adaptation, and larval color mimicry regarding the ACB system, lacking of reference genomic information and a powerful gene editing approach have hindered the in-depth studies of these aspects. Here we present a 455.7 Mb draft genome of ACB with 98.4% completeness. Comparative genomics analysis showed an evident expansion in gene families of gustatory receptors (105), which is related to polyphagous characteristics. Based on the comparative transcriptome analysis of resistant and susceptible ACB against Bt Cry1Ab toxin, we identified 26 genes related to Cry1Ab resistance. Additionally, transcriptomics of insects exposed to conditions of low temperature and diapause (LT) vs. room temperature and diapause (RT) provided insights into the genetic mechanisms of cold adaptation. We also successfully developed an efficient CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing system and applied it to explore the role of color pattern genes in the ecological adaptation of ACB. Taken together, our study provides a fully annotated high-quality reference genome and efficient gene editing system to realize the potential of ACB as a study system to address important biological questions such as insecticide resistance, seasonal adaptation, and coloration. These valuable genomic resources will also benefit the development of novel strategies for maize pest management.

亚洲玉米螟（ACB）是亚洲西太平洋地区对玉米危害最大的害虫。尽管人们对 ACB 系统的杀虫剂抗性、季节适应和幼虫颜色模拟有着广泛的兴趣，但缺乏参考基因组信息和强大的基因编辑方法阻碍了对这些方面的深入研究。在这里，我们展示了一个 455.7 Mb 的 ACB 基因组草图，完整度为 98.4%。比较基因组学分析显示味觉受体基因家族的明显扩展(105)，这与多食性特征有关。基于比较转录组通过对 Bt Cry1Ab 毒素的抗性和易感 ACB 的分析，我们鉴定了 26 个与 Cry1Ab 抗性相关的基因。此外，暴露于低温和滞育条件下的昆虫的转录组学(LT) 与室温和滞育 (RT) 对比提供了对冷适应遗传机制的见解。我们还成功开发了一种高效的基于 CRISPR/Cas9 的基因组编辑系统，并将其应用于探索颜色模式基因在 ACB 生态适应中的作用。总之，我们的研究提供了一个完全注释的高质量参考基因组和高效的基因编辑系统，以实现 ACB 作为研究系统解决杀虫剂抗性、季节性适应和着色等重要生物学问题的潜力。这些宝贵的基因组资源也将有利于开发新的玉米病虫害管理策略。