Rootworm Bioassay Data and Root-Injury Scores: PNAS 2025

Transgenic crops that produce insecticidal toxins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are grown worldwide to manage insect pests. Western corn rootworm is a serious pest of maize in the United States and is managed with Bt maize. However, some field populations of western corn rootworm have evolved resistance to all types of Bt maize that are currently used to manage this pest. This data set contains data on feeding injury to Bt maize by western corn rootworm in multiple fields in Iowa, USA. For several of these fields, adult western corn rootworm were collected and their larval progeny used in plant-based bioassays to measure resistance to Bt maize, and these data also are included in this data set. Finally, as part of this study, a meta-analysis was conducted using bioassay data spanning 12 years to test for changes over time in resistance to Bt maize by western corn rootworm, and the data used for this meta-analysis are provided. The data are presented across five .csv files.