MON Submits EPA Application for VT-DoublePro Refuge-in-a-Bag
[MON hopes to launch refuge-in-a-bag formulations for SmartStax corn and VT DoublePro corn for the 2012 growing season in North America using a mix of 95% GM seed and 5% regular seed in lieu of a separate insect refuge. The regular (non-bag) versions of SmartStax and VT Double Pro corn are already on the market. MON submitted the application for SmartStax refuge-in-a-bag in Dec 2009.
VT Double Pro corn contains protection from above-ground insects but not from below-ground insects; it is intended primarily for corn farmers in the Western US where the corn rootworm is not considered a serious pest. (MON does not intend to offer a refuge-in-a-bag version of VT *Triple* Pro corn for the Southern US; the (unofficial) reason for not offering such a product, which was the subject of a quiz, is given in #msg-51033222.)
DuPont, MON’s most formidable competitor in biotech seeds, offers a corn refuge-in-a-bag product called AcreMax 1; however, growers using AcreMax 1 must plant a separate 20% insect refuge for above-ground insects because the biotech traits in AcreMax 1 are active only against below-ground pests (#msg-49509446). The need to plant a separate 20% refuge prevents the refuge-in-a-bag version of AcreMax 1 from being a serious competitor to MON’s SmartStax refuge-in-a-bag. DuPont is purportedly working on a follow-on product called AcreMax 2 that could be competitive with MON’s SmartStax refuge-in-a-bag; however, DuPont has not yet submitted an application for AcreMax 2, which makes it unlikely that a commercial launch could occur as soon as 2012.]
ST. LOUIS, June 29, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Responding to U.S. corn farmers' requests to simplify insect resistance management, Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) announced today that it has submitted for registration to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a 5 percent refuge-in-the-bag (RIB) option for Genuity® VT Double PRO™ corn. Upon registration, a RIB option for Genuity VT Double PRO corn would provide farmers in the U.S. Corn Belt with the convenience of planting one bag containing both Bt seed and refuge seed.
The simplicity of a RIB product would allow farmers in the Corn Belt to plant one corn product across their entire field without the burden of planting and managing a separate, lower-yielding refuge.
The data package is the second RIB submission the company has presented to the EPA for registration. The agency is currently reviewing Monsanto's RIB application for Genuity® SmartStax™ corn, submitted in December 2009. Pending registrations, the company expects to have both RIB product options commercially available to farmers in the U.S. Corn Belt for the 2012 growing season.
"Bt corn has revolutionized U.S. corn production. However, the majority of Bt corn products today contain a single mode of action for insect control and require a structured non-Bt corn refuge of 20 percent for resistance management in the Corn Belt," said Jerry Hjelle, Monsanto Vice President of Global Regulatory. "Planting a structured refuge limits yield potential and is inconvenient. Upon registration by EPA, Genuity VT Double PRO will be the first dual mode of action product for above-ground insect-protection with a convenient 5 percent single-bag refuge solution."
The dual modes of action in Genuity VT Double PRO (MON 89034 × NK603) provide protection from the European corn borer, southwestern corn borer, fall armyworm, and corn earworm, while offering tolerance to Roundup® agricultural herbicides. As such, the technology is the first dual mode of action product on the market to include a reduced structured refuge option at 5 percent in the Corn Belt for above-ground pests, protecting more of a farmer's field from pest damage that reduces yields. The percentage of refuge acres varies based on specific geography, but in general the required structured refuge for Bt corn products has been 20 percent in the Corn Belt and 50 percent in the Cotton Belt.
A 5 percent RIB solution for Genuity VT Double PRO would improve planting convenience and assure grower compliance with refuge requirements thereby helping protect the long-term durability of Bt technology. Upon registration by EPA, the 5 percent single-bag refuge option of Genuity VT Double PRO will offer the most convenient refuge implementation option available to growers who desire a product without the below-ground rootworm Bt protection offered by Genuity SmartStax.
"Today, farmers are reaping the benefits of increased yields through Monsanto's Genuity family of reduced refuge corn products," Hjelle said. "Monsanto continues to invest in research and technology to provide farmers with greater solutions for refuge simplicity and compliance. A 5 percent RIB solution for Genuity VT Double PRO is the next step in that commitment to growers."‹
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