A methodology of crop production in which the farmer utilizes a minimum of mechanical cultivation (i.e., only two to four passes over the field instead of the conventional five passes for traditional crop production). The plant residue remaining on field’s surface helps to control weeds and reduce soil erosion, but it also provides sites for insects to shelter and reproduce, leading to a need for increased insect control via methods such as inserting a Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) gene into crop plants.