害虫耐性Btトウモロコシ維持に社会科学が貢献(How social science helps keep bugs off corn)

2026-05-08 ノースカロライナ州立大学(NCState)

米ノースカロライナ州立大学(NC State University)の研究チームは、トウモロコシ害虫対策において社会科学が重要な役割を果たすことを示した。研究では、害虫抵抗性を持つBtトウモロコシの効果維持には、生物学的対策だけでなく農家の行動や意思決定が大きく影響することを分析した。特に、害虫の薬剤耐性進化を遅らせるために必要な「リフュージ(非Bt作物区画)」の導入率が、農家間の情報共有、経済的インセンティブ、規制理解によって左右されることが判明した。研究者らは、単なる技術開発だけでは持続的害虫管理は実現できず、農家コミュニティとの協調や政策設計、リスク認知への配慮が不可欠だと指摘する。成果は、害虫抵抗性管理を長期的に維持するためには、生態学と社会科学を統合したアプローチが必要であることを示している。

害虫耐性Btトウモロコシ維持に社会科学が貢献(How social science helps keep bugs off corn)
Safety testing would be recommended for products with new characteristics that have the potential for health or environmental effects, or for products with differences that cannot be interpreted,

<関連情報>

栽培者のコンプライアンスを超えて:Btトウモロコシの耐性管理がシステムレベルの連携を必要とする理由 Moving beyond grower compliance: why Bt corn resistance management depends on system-level coordination

Dominic Reisig ,Katherine Dentzman
Journal of Economic Entomology  Published:23 April 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/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.

1207植物保護
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