Commercial planting of genetically modified maize lowers pest damage, yield loss and pesticide usage in Northeast China

Abstract BACKGROUND Lepidopteran herbivores and weeds greatly constrain the productivity of maize globally. Genetically modified (GM) maize lines expressing insecticidal cry genes and herbicide‐tolerant epsps genes are widely adopted in the continental America, but their uptake is restricted in many parts of the other countries. Northeast China, which is the largest maize planting area of the country, GM maize with both Bt insecticidal and herbicide tolerance genes was commercially released in 2021 and its cultivation reached 250 000 ha in 2023. Here, we investigated the performance of GM maize in terms of pest damage, yield loss and pesticide usage, amongst other metrics, to assess the safety and benefits. RESULT We show how GM maize achieved >99% control of the locally prevailing lepidopteran pests and permitted 97% herbicidal weed control over a 3‐year period. As compared to non‐GM maize, GM maize yields increased by 4.6–10.1%, mycotoxin contamination levels were reduced by 91.7–95.6% and farmers' net income (under subsidized seed prices) rose by US$276–332 ha −1 . Both insecticide and herbicide application frequencies in GM maize decreased significantly. CONCLUSION Our work underlines how GM maize curbs pesticide use intensity, upholds food security and allays food safety concerns. When tactically paired with biological control and the agroecological components of integrated pest management, GM maize could provide durable crop protection and shrink the environmental footprint of agriculture in China. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.