Transgenic cotton and sterile insect releases synergize eradication of pink bollworm a century after it invaded the United States

We report eradication of the pink bollworm, one of the world's most damaging crop pests, from the cotton-growing areas of the continental United States and northern Mexico. A coordinated, multitactic program achieved this success a century after the pest invaded both countries. The program included releases of billions of sterile pink bollworm moths from airplanes and planting of cotton engineered to produce insect-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Analysis of computer simulations and 21 y of field data from Arizona indicate these two tactics interacted synergistically to suppress the pest. By eradicating the pink bollworm, the program ended the damage it caused to cotton and the insecticide sprays used to control it, yielding economic, environmental, and social benefits.