Data from: Climate change, transgenic corn adoption and field-evolved resistance in corn earworm

Increased temperature anomaly during the twenty-first century coincides
with the proliferation of transgenic crops containing the bacterium
Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (Bt) to express insecticidal Cry
proteins. Increasing temperatures profoundly affect insect life histories
and agricultural pest management. However, the implications of climate
change on Bt crop–pest interactions and insect resistance to Bt crops
remains unexamined. We analysed the relationship of temperature anomaly
and Bt adoption with field-evolved resistance to Cry1Ab Bt sweet corn in a
major pest, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). Increased Bt adoption during
1996–2016 suppressed H. zea populations, but increased temperature anomaly
buffers population reduction. Temperature anomaly and its interaction with
elevated selection pressure from high Bt acreage probably accelerated the
Bt-resistance development. Helicoverpa zea damage to corn ears, kernel
area consumed, mean instars and proportion of late instars in Bt varieties
increased with Bt adoption and temperature anomaly, through additive or
interactive effects. Risk of Bt-resistant H. zea spreading is high given
extensive Bt adoption, and the expected increase in overwintering and
migration. Our study highlights the challenges posed by climate change for
Bt biotechnology-based agricultural pest management, and the need to
incorporate evolutionary processes affected by climate change into
Bt-resistance management programmes.