Wilmington, Delaware
May 11, 2009
Source:
DuPont
Last week, a Scientific Advisory
Panel (SAP) to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
issued a report on the Optimum® AcreMax™ 1 insect protection
system that supported the first-ever corn rootworm integrated
refuge in the bag.
BT corn hybrids are genetically modified to contain a gene from
the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Many different
strains of BT have been identified, each specific for a
different group of insects. One group of Bt corn hybrids offers
protection against corn rootworms.
The purpose of an insect refuge is to maintain the effectiveness
of Bt crops by preventing or delaying insect resistance to Bt
traits. A refuge provides a habitat that allows targeted insects
to feed, mate and reproduce without being exposed to the trait.
Without a refuge, insects exposed to Bt corn each growing season
over multiple generations will eventually become resistant to
Bt.
Integrated refuge in the bag is significant to farmers in the
U.S. because it simplifies corn rootworm refuge deployment and
guarantees compliance. Farmers must currently plant an in-field
or adjacent 20 percent insect refuge of conventional or
herbicide-tolerant seed to meet EPA refuge requirements when
planting Bt traits. By integrating the refuge requirements into
a single bag, Optimum® AcreMax™ 1 Insect Protection would reduce
refuge acres, simplify refuge deployment and help preserve the
highly effective Herculex® RW technology for growers.
Upon regulatory approval, DuPont will introduce the first and
only integrated corn rootworm refuge product in the marketplace
that will provide growers the opportunity to reduce rootworm
refuge acres, which has many economic and environmental
benefits, including:
- Increasing overall farm
yields,
- Reducing pesticide use,
and
- Ensuring the durability of
important insect protection traits by guaranteeing 100
percent compliance with corn rootworm refuge requirements.
SAP review is one step in the EPA
regulatory approval process. The SAP report is advisory in
nature, focuses on specific technical questions posed to the
panel by the EPA and does not represent a regulatory decision.
The final regulatory decision will be made by the EPA later this
year.
“Advancing science is a dynamic process. On the whole, we are
pleased with the review by the panel and their endorsement of
the innovative integrated approach to corn rootworm refuge,”
said Paul E. Schickler, DuPont vice president and general
manager and Pioneer president. “The Optimum® AcreMax™ concept
represents tremendous economic and environmental value to
farmers. We believe the full body of evidence now before the EPA
strongly supports a 2009 registration of Optimum® AcreMax™ 1.”
Optimum® AcreMax™ 1 insect protection is one of many innovations
in advanced plant genetics from DuPont on the horizon that will
bring increased value to farmers. Today, the DuPont approach to
science is making a big difference in the lives of agricultural
producers and fueling significant growth in the marketplace. |
|