Genetically-modified crops expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins have been widely cultivated, permitting an effective non-chemical control of major agricultural pests. While their establishment can enable an area-wide suppression of polyphagous herbivores, no information is available on the impact of Bt crop abandonment in entire landscape matrices. Here, we detail a resurgence of the cosmopolitan bollworm Helicoverpa armigera following a contraction of Bt cotton area in dynamic agro-landscapes over 2007–2019 in North China Plain. An 80% reduction in Bt cotton was mirrored in a 1.9-fold increase of ambient H. armigera population levels, culminating in 1.5–2.1-fold higher yield loss and a 2.0–4.4-fold increase in pesticide use frequency in non-Bt crops (i.e. maize, peanut, soybean). Our work unveils the fate of herbivorous insect populations following a progressive dis-use of insecticidal crop cultivars, and hints at how tactically deployed Bt crops could be paired with agro-ecological measures to mitigate the environmental footprint of crop production.

中文翻译：

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Bt 棉花面积收缩推动区域害虫死灰复燃、作物损失和杀虫剂使用

表达苏云金芽孢杆菌(Bt) 蛋白的转基因作物已被广泛种植，可对主要农业害虫进行有效的非化学控制。虽然它们的建立可以在整个区域内抑制多食性食草动物，但没有关于 Bt 作物放弃对整个景观矩阵的影响的信息。在这里，我们详细介绍了 2007-2019 年华北平原动态农业景观中 Bt 棉花面积收缩后世界性棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera的复苏。Bt 棉花减少 80% 反映在环境H. armigera增加 1.9 倍种群水平，最终导致非 Bt 作物（即玉米、花生、大豆）的产量损失增加 1.5-2.1 倍，农药使用频率增加 2.0-4.4 倍。我们的工作揭示了随着杀虫作物品种逐渐被淘汰后食草昆虫种群的命运，并暗示了如何将战术部署的 Bt 作物与农业生态措施相结合，以减轻作物生产的环境足迹。