Bt_2025v16n3

Bt Research 2025, Vol.16, No.3, 86-94 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/bt 89 ultimately promote the earlier formation of resistance populations (Van Den Berg et al., 2022). At present, a variety of pests have developed actual resistance to Bt crops worldwide, and climate change is regarded as an important external factor accelerating this process. In addition, the physiological changes of plants in different seasons can also affect the adaptability and resistance gene frequencies of pests on Bt crops. Appropriate establishment of sheltered areas for non-BT crops can delay the formation of resistance (Carriere et al., 2017). 5 Climate Change and Distribution of Bt Use 5.1 Geographic shifts in demand Climate warming and the increasing number of extreme weather events are driving changes in the location of agricultural production areas. For instance, rising temperatures and droughts will cause crop-growing areas to move towards higher latitudes or altitudes, which will also affect the distribution of demand for pest control technologies, such as Bt crops. Take rice, wheat and corn as examples. Long-term high temperatures and water shortage will significantly reduce the accumulation of biomass. Crops that were originally suitable for cool climates, such as wheat, have been more affected. This means that under climate change conditions, their suitable planting areas will shift (Perdomo et al., 2015). Such geographical changes will directly affect the promotion area and demand size of Bt crops. The impact of climate change on the distribution of pests will also alter the demand for Bt crops. Climate warming may allow some pests to enter new areas, thereby increasing the demand for Bt crops in these areas (Wittmann and Baylis, 2000). However, at present, there is still a lack of empirical studies directly measuring the changes in the geographical distribution of Bt crops. 5.2 Economic and regulatory drivers Climate change will not only alter the areas where crops are grown, but also indirectly drive changes in the economic and policy environment of Bt crops by influencing land use, carbon balance and agricultural sustainability goals. The changes in land use structure, the increase in carbon emission pressure, and the policy demand for sustainable development may make decision-makers more willing to promote efficient and environmentally friendly Bt crops. Meanwhile, the new pest threats and crop loss risks brought about by climate change may also make Bt crops more economically attractive, promoting their application in high-risk areas. From a regulatory perspective, climate change will prompt policymakers to enhance land management and agricultural planning, providing policy support for the promotion of Bt crops. However, it should also be noted that the impact of climate change on the ecological security of Bt crops, such as on soil organisms, still requires long-term monitoring and assessment (Wang et al., 2022). 6 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the Climate Change Era 6.1 Bt in combination with other control methods The large-scale promotion of Bt crops has greatly reduced the reliance on chemical pesticides. This restores and enhances the role of biological control factors such as natural enemies, thereby improving the overall effect of integrated Pest management (IPM) (Lu et al., 2018; Romeis et al., 2019). For instance, in China, the use of Bt cotton not only controls cotton bollworms, but also indirectly helps control the natural enemies of aphids by reducing the use of pesticides, thereby reducing the damage caused by aphids. However, if only Bt crops are used, it may also cause a large number of non-target pests (such as stink bugs) to occur, which indicates that a diversified IPM strategy is very important. Therefore, Bt is best combined with biological control, agronomic measures (such as intercropping, rotation), behavioral regulation (such as pheromones), etc., so as to sustainably control pests in the long term (Figure 2) (Heeb et al., 2019; Angon et al., 2023; Zanzana et al., 2024). 6.2 Resistance management Climate change will accelerate the evolution of pest resistance, and the emergence of BT-resistant pests has become a global concern. Effective resistance management methods include: increasing the proportion of non-BT crop "shelters", rotating different Bt toxins, using in combination with other control methods, and strengthening resistance monitoring (Ziska et al., 2018; Gassmann and Reisig, 2022; Aswathi et al., 2024). In Africa, the United

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ4ODYzNA==