First Biotech Corn Designed to Control Rootworm Pest

A new kind of genetically modified corn contains a protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), 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 new corn technology has received a registration from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that allows its commercialization. The EPA determined that the corn posed no adverse human health or environmental concerns. The corn, called YardGard Rootworm, is the result of more than four years of research by Monsanto Company (St. Louis, MO, USA) in collaboration with university and US government scientists. Research conducted at academic field trial locations over the past three years has shown that Yardgard Rootworm corn was more consistent in controlling rootworm damage than the best-performing insecticide,

"With the protection built into the seed, YieldGard Rootworm corn controls a damaging corn pest while significantly reducing the amount of insecticide that has to be used to protect the crop,” said Robert T. Fraley, Ph.D., chief technology officer for Monsanto. "More insecticides are used to fight corn rootworm than any other pest in corn, which is the crop grown on the largest number of acres in the United States.”




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