How social science helps keep bugs off corn
For Immediate Release
A new study suggests broad systemic problems play a significant role in disincentivizing corn growers from planting the refuge corn needed to keep pests from becoming resistant to the insect-killing traits in Bt corn. And social science can play a role in addressing this challenge..
Insect-resistant corn, known as Bt corn, is created by genetically modifying corn seeds to produce a bacteria (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxin, which kills common pests like caterpillars or beetles. To prevent these pests from evolving resistance to Bt corn, farmers are required by seed producers to plant a small area of land with “refuge” corn, which does not include the Bt toxin.
However, planting refuge corn is influenced by more than individual grower choice. Economic incentives, seed availability, and how refuge requirements are implemented can all shape decisions. In some cases, growers may perceive refuge corn as carrying greater risk or lower returns, which can discourage its use.
This presents a problem because the refuge system only functions if all the growers in an area participate. Getting growers to do so may require expertise outside of physical and life sciences, said Dominic Reisig, professor and extension specialist at North Carolina State University and co-author of a paper on the study.
“When we think about policies that that impact growers, we need to incorporate people from the social sciences,” Reisig said. “Oftentimes we’re just thinking about the grower, and placing all the responsibility there, instead of looking at the system that creates incentives for them to make the choices that they do. What we’ve found is that social science experts recognize the importance of that system right away, and that’s a valuable perspective to have.”
While corn growers are ultimately responsible for putting refuge corn seed in the ground, Reisig said there are several points of tension throughout the corn production pipeline that effectively encourage growers not to plant refuge corn. These include a lack of high-yielding non-Bt corn seed, weak regulatory enforcement, and low incentives for theseed industry to prioritize the sale of refuge corn.
A United States Environmental Protection Agency proposal requiring growers to purchase refuge corn alongside Bt corn seed at point of sale is a step in the right direction, Reisig said, but still places too much emphasis on corn growers as the primary, and perhaps only, factor in determining the success of refuge planting. The seed industry also takes about five years to get a new breed to market, he said, which makes quickly implementing new refuge requirements difficult.
By integrating social scientists into agricultural policy decisions, pain points throughout the system could be identified faster and resolved in a way that spreads out accountability, Reisig said.
“What we have is a situation where many actors are all making decisions that appear correct and make sense for their own needs, but when strung together create a system that doesn’t accomplish its goal,” he said. “Hard-science agricultural researchers may not always see that, but a social scientist can take one look and say, ‘of course it’s the system.’”
The paper, “Moving beyond grower compliance: why Bt corn resistance management depends on system-level coordination,” is published in the Journal of Economic Entomology. The paper was co-authored by Katherine Dentzman of Iowa State University.
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Note to Editors: The study abstract follows.
“Moving beyond grower compliance: why Bt corn resistance management depends on system-level coordination”
Authors: Dominic Reisig, NC State University; Katherine Dentzman, Iowa State University
Published: April 23, 2026, Journal of Economic Entomology
DOI: 10.1093/jee/toag104
Abstract: Insect resistance management (IRM) for Bt corn (Zea mays L.) has traditionally emphasized grower compliance with non-Bt refuge requirements. However, this framing overlooks the broader agricultural system that shapes refuge outcomes, including the US Environmental Protection Agency, seed companies, trait providers, seed dealers and agricultural retailers, and Cooperative Extension. As a result, refuge outcomes are often treated as individual behavioral failures rather than system-level design challenges. We argue that sustaining Bt susceptibility requires shifting from a grower-centric compliance model to a systems perspective in which refuge outcomes are co-produced by multiple actors. Within this sociological context, we then situate a recent US Environmental Protection Agency proposal requiring growers to purchase non-Bt corn seed with Bt corn seed as an example of how policy can reshape responsibility for refuge implementation. While this approach moves refuge planning earlier in the decision process, it does not fully address the economic, logistical, and institutional constraints that influence how refuge is ultimately implemented. We identify opportunities to improve IRM through coordinated system-level interventions, including integrating social science into policy design, improving transparency of non-Bt hybrid performance, aligning non-Bt seed offerings around a smaller set of hybrids with flexible management traits, and exploring system-level design options, such as track-and-trace mechanisms, to ensure that non-Bt seed is sold and distributed in appropriate quantities. Together, these approaches emphasize shared stewardship to sustain Bt susceptibility as a common-pool resource, rather than reliance on individual grower compliance.
