Bt corn and insect resistance: An economic assessment of refuges

Genetically engineered crops offer farmers a new option for controlling pes ts. The high efficacy of these pesticidal crops, combined with the potentia l for widespread adoption, has raised concerns that pest resistance may pre maturely diminish their value. In response to these concerns, the Environme ntal Protection Agency requires resistance management plans. Current resist ance management plans rely on a high-dose refuge strategy. This analysis ex tends the current framework for evaluating high-dose refuge strategies to i nclude a measure of agricultural productivity and conventional pesticide us e. The economic tradeoff relative to agricultural productivity, conventiona l pesticide use, and pest resistance is assessed when Bt corn is planted to control the European corn borer.