An economic modeling study showed a yield advantage of 15 percent in second-generation Bt cotton (Monsanto’s Bollgard II) under conditions of low to moderate lepidopteran pest pressure, while insecticide sprays were reduced by two-thirds in Bt cotton plots. Bollgard II remained profitable to the grower throughout the range of theoretical technology premiums evaluated ($0–75 per hectare) and was represented by economic gains of $79 to 154 per hectare. These were the research findings of Jeffrey Vitale of the Oklahoma State University and colleagues in “Second-Generation Bt Cotton Field Trials in Burkina Faso: Analyzing the Potential Benefits to West African Farmers” published in the online journal, Crop Science.

Over three field seasons (2003–2005), second-generation Bt cotton (Monsanto’s Bollgard II) was tested in confined field trials in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Pest density, seed cotton yields, and the cost of insecticide sprays were evaluated under theoretical Bt technology cost premiums to determine the potential relative profitability of Bt cotton and conventional cotton.

The research abstract is available at http://crop.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/48/5/1958.