Manila Bulletin, Philippines : New biotech corn variety approved for planting in Philippines

07/11/2003

New biotech corn variety approved for planting in Philippines

By: Bong Reblando

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — After producing anti-corn borer Bt corn, here comes the latest genetically-enhanced corn product, which resists both the corn borer and corn rootworm pests, and ensure more yield and income to farmers.

Monsanto announced Monday that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted registration for its YieldGard Plus corn, the first biotech product designed to control corn borers and rootworms.

YieldGard Corn Plus is the forerunner YieldGard Corn Borer or Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt) corn, which gained public acceptance in the Philippines and now sold in commercial volume following favorable feedback from corn farmers in Luzon down to Visayas and Mindanao.

Dr. Robb Fraley, Monsanto's chief technology official, said the new product is a major step to provide corn growers with the technology to control corn borer and corn rootworm pests.

"YieldGard Plus corn will certainly provide more benefits to corn growers with improved yields, higher on-farm returns and reduced need for insecticides used to contain damaging insect pests," stressed Fraley.

Monsanto's Bt corn was the first biotech crop approved for commercial planting in the Philippines, and is one of the first biotech food crops approved for planting in Asia.

The company said EPA granted its registration for YieldGard Plus corn after it completed the agency's comprehensive environmental safety assessment.

Fraley, Monsanto's chief technology officer, said the development of the new product is a major step towards providing corn growers with the technology to control both corn borer and corn rootworm pests.

Monsanto said YieldGard Plus corn provides growers with in-seed protection, allowing the corn plant to protect itself against the damaging Western and Northern corn rootworm larvae and the European corn borer.

Known as the "billion dollar bugs," the corn rootworm and the European corn borer pests damage corn crops worth approximately $1 billion annually.

Over 200 field trials in 80 US locations to evaluate the efficacy of YieldGard plus in year 2001 showed the new stacked trait corn proved superior rootworm control compared to both conventional insecticide sprays and chemical seed treatments.

YieldGard Plus corn joins Monsanto's "YieldGard" family of insect-protected products for corn, which also includes YieldGard Corn Borer and YieldGard Rootworm corn.

The company said that after the necessary regulatory clearances on a statelevel in the US and receipt of the Japanese import approval, the YieldGard Plus technology will be made available for planting in corn hybrids through Monsanto's branded seed businesses..