Registration extended for Bt corn technologies

ST. LOUIS – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has extended the registration of two YieldGard insect-protected corn technologies developed by Monsanto Company.
The registration for YieldGard Rootworm insect-protected corn technology has been extended through the 2010 growing season and the registration for YieldGard Plushas been extended through the 2008 growing season.
Natural protection. YieldGard Rootworm corn contains a protein from Bacillus thuringiensis, a common soil microbe that specifically targets corn rootworm larvae, allowing the corn plant to naturally protect its roots against the damaging corn rootworm.
The corn rootworm has earned the nickname the “billion-dollar bug” as the USDA estimates that this pest causes $1 billion in lost revenue annually to the U.S. corn crop.
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.
History. Corn growers first planted Monsanto’s YieldGard Rootworm technology in the United States in 2003 and YieldGard Plus hybrids have been on the market since 2005.
Monsanto’s mid-season estimates highlight that corn hybrids containing the company’s YieldGard Rootworm insect-protected corn technology were planted on roughly 9-10 million acres of the U.S. corn crop this year.