Efficiency of cotton bollworm ( Helicoverpa armigera Hübner) control of different Bt cotton varieties in North China

Background The cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) is one of cotton’s most destructive insect pests in terms of yield and quality. Since 1997, China has grown commercially available transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton. We aimed to investigate the variation in resistance of transgenic Bt cotton varieties to cotton bollworm in North China.