Dr Jocelyn Smith

Dr. Jocelyn Smith is one of the country’s leading researchers in resistance management of corn insect pests.

An Associate Professor in Field Crop Entomology at the Ridgetown Campus of the University of Guelph, she was part of a team that identified the first case of field-evolved resistance to Bt corn in European Corn Borer (ECB) globally. That work has helped to spawn an international effort focused on identifying the genetic basis for Bt resistance with the goal of developing optimal resistance mitigation strategies.

She was in PEI earlier this year to provide an update on her work to industry during a two-day conference co-sponsored by the Atlantic Grains Council and the PEI Department of Agriculture. She is a key player in the Canadian Corn Pest Coalition, which annually conducts field trials across to test the susceptibility of key inspect pests like the European corn borer to Bt toxins and insecticides.

“I have been researching this field for over 20 years,” said Dr. Smith, who grew up on a family farm in southern Ontario that produced both beef cattle and cash crops.

Since the discovery of European corn borer (ECB) populations resistant to Cry1F protein in Nova Scotia back in 2018, additional finds of damage on Bt corn by the pest have been found throughout Canada and the United States. In 2023, feeding damage was detected on plants containing both Cry1Ab and Cry1A.105 in a field in Truro, NS and on plants containing Cry1Ab, Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 in the Sussex area and New Haven, Connecticut.

She said there is a strong degree of cooperation between researchers on both sides of the border, noting an international committee that was first developed to tackle the expanding reach of the European Corn Borer has expanded to other pests and “we really have learned a lot from each other.”

Dr. Smith said all the signs point to one conclusion, namely resistance is developing in the ECB population and the need for increased scouting and monitoring is more important than ever.

Despite its name, Dr. Smith explained the pest can wreak havoc on several crops besides corn, and tomatoes have proven to be a particularly at risk in Atlantic Canada. In fact, much of the work done in this region has been centered on tomatoes, but she added ” we are working to try to expand that to corn.”

While all the monitoring work is coordinated through the Ridgetown Campus, she explained they work with industry and other academic institutions including Dalhousie University. She said the goal is to have research and monitoring happen right across the country.

“There is more Bt corn being grown and more pockets of pests,” she noted. “It does seem that here in Atlantic Canada, the ECB population is pretty robust.”

The European corn borer typically overwinter as fully grown larvae lodged in the stem or cob of its host. Pupation occurs in early spring, and adults emerge in early summer. Populations can go through one or two generations in a single season.

Dr. Smith explained factors like the drought experienced in many areas of the Maritimes in 2025 don’t really have a big impact on population numbers. She added “they can adapt to the climate pretty well; they have been around for over 100 years.”

Rather the population tends to rise and fall as natural enemies like Green Lacewings and Ladybugs build up in the population. She explained they tend to run on a seven- or eight-year cycle.

The University of Guelph professor said there are regional variations in the prevalence of the pest, due to such factors as soil organic matter and the crop mix used on farms. She added “that is why it is so important to monitor the population levels right across the country.”

Dr. Smith said she is working with provincial officials and industry to expand its efforts in PEI. She added “we don’t have as much information from here (PEI) as we would like and that is one of the reasons why I am here speaking to this conference.”

From the research that has been conducted, it appears ECB populations peaked in Canada in 2020 and “we are in a bit of a down cycle right now but now doubt they will pick up again in the next few years.”