Nashville, Tennessee
February 28, 2008
DuPont business, Pioneer
Hi-Bred, today introduced the first “in-the-bag” seed refuge
system to farmers during Commodity Classic, the industry’s
premier agricultural trade show and convention.
The new insect protection system, Optimum® AcreMax™, will
provide corn growers with improved productivity by increasing
the number of acres farmers can plant to the industry’s most
advanced insect control options. The first phase of Optimum®
AcreMax™ insect protection will be launched as early as 2009,
pending regulatory approval. The system will eliminate the need
for farmers to plant separate corn borer and corn rootworm
refuges with their Pioneer® brand Bt corn hybrids.
“Pioneer is using innovation and science, and the strongest
traits in the industry, to give U.S. growers a superior solution
to protect crops from yield-robbing insect damage,” said Frank
Ross, Pioneer vice president, North America Operations. “For the
first time, farmers will be able to plant all their acres with a
single product that satisfies refuge requirements.”
The Optimum® AcreMax™ system is made possible through the
industry-leading insect control technology of Herculex® XTRA,
which not only provides the most effective control of corn
rootworm, but is also highly effective against above ground
insects including corn borer, western bean cutworm and black
cutworm.
“The Optimum® AcreMax™ system will help farmers as soon as next
year -- well ahead of any of our competitors,” said Bill Niebur,
DuPont vice president, Crop Genetics Research and Development.
“And each generation of the Optimum® AcreMax™ system will build
on the last, bringing farmers greater convenience, yield
potential and efficacy.”
Optimum® AcreMax™ 1 Insect Protection
Pioneer plans to launch the first phase of the system, Optimum®
AcreMax™ 1 insect protection in 2009, pending regulatory
approval. Optimum® AcreMax™ 1 will eliminate the need for a
farmer to plant a separate corn rootworm refuge. Pending
regulatory approval, the first phase will be a combination of a
base hybrid with the Herculex XTRA trait and that same base
hybrid with the Herculex I trait, all in the same bag. This
approach would reduce the need to plant a separate rootworm
refuge and increase the number of acres planted to the
industry’s best below ground pest protection.
All of the seeds will be glyphosate and glufosinate tolerant and
treated with an insecticidal seed treatment that protects the
seed from secondary below-ground insect pests.
Earlier this week, DuPont reached a milestone in the
commercialization of Optimum® AcreMax™ 1 with the formal
submission of its regulatory dossier to the EPA.
“We’re confident our scientific and field trial data supports
the approval of our novel approach to more effectively manage
insect pests in corn,” said Niebur.
Optimum® AcreMax™ 2 Insect Protection
Beginning as soon as 2011, Pioneer plans to introduce the next
generation of its integrated insect protection program
Optimum® AcreMax™ 2 insect protection. Optimum® AcreMax™ 2 will
combine the YieldGard® corn borer gene with Herculex® XTRA,
providing two modes of action for above ground pests. This
addition will extend the integrated refuge strategy to include
corn borer and allow growers to meet all of their refuge
requirements with a single product. Pending EPA approval, this
approach will result in a low level refuge integrated in the
product mix to increase yields, simplify compliance, extend the
durability of the traits and completely eliminate the need for a
separate block or strip refuge.
Expanding Protection for Growers
DuPont recently announced a trait access agreement with Syngenta
for its MIR162 trait that allows Pioneer to commercialize a
unique product solution for farmers dealing with secondary
insect pests. The MIR162 trait will be integrated into future
insect protection products to provide a second, and in some
cases, third mode of action for above ground pests such as corn
ear worm, southwestern corn borer, western bean and black
cutworm, fall army worm and sugarcane borer. Pending regulatory
approval, this advanced insect control system will allow corn
farmers in the South to plant more of their acres to Bt corn –
increasing their overall yields and productivity and simplifying
their farm operations. This combination of technologies could
also provide an expanded insect control solution for farmers in
other countries.
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is the world’s leading
source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers
and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des
Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics
in nearly 70 countries.
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded
in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable
solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for
people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont
offers a wide range of innovative products and services for
markets including agriculture and food; building and
construction; communications; and transportation.
The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The Miracles of science™,
Optimum® AcreMax™, and Pioneer® are registered trademarks or
trademarks of DuPont or its affiliates.
YieldGard® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC
Herculex® insect protection technology by Dow AgroSciences and
Pioneer Hi-Bred. ® Herculex is a registered trademark of Dow
AgroSciences LLC. |
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