UNL CropWatch May 28, 2010: New Product Adds a Twist to Resistance Management - Refuge in a Bag

Published before 2015

May 27, 2010

On May 3 the EPA granted a time-limited registration to Pioneer Hi-Bred International through September 30, 2010 for a new product line which will change the way some refuges are implemented for insect resistance management.

Up to now a structured refuge was required for all insect-resistant Bt corn hybrids, with some differences between corn borer and rootworm active hybrids. Pioneer now offers Optimum® AcreMax™ 1 and Optimum® AcreMax™ RW, which feature built-in corn rootworm resistance management with the refuge integrated in the bag, thus eliminating the need for a structured refuge for corn rootworm. Both have herbicide tolerance. Continued registration beyond that date is dependent on public comment and Pioneer providing additional data to EPA on several topics.

Optimum® AcreMax™ 1 contains 90% of a Pioneer hybrid with Herculex® XTRA (CRW/CB/LL/RR2), and 10% of a Pioneer hybrid with the Herculex I trait (CB/LL/RR2) that serves as the corn rootworm refuge. A separate 20% non-Bt refuge for corn borers would still be required.

Optimum® AcreMax™ RW contains 90% of a Pioneer hybrid with Herculex RW and 10% of a Pioneer hybrid that serves as the corn rootworm refuge. Farmers can use Optimum® AcreMax™ RW as the corn borer refuge for Optimum® AcreMax™ 1.

Pioneer is demonstrating the product in farmers’ fields this year to support the 2011 ramp up. Pioneer has placed Optimum® AcreMax™ 1 insect protection and Optimum® AcreMax™ RW insect protection products in more than 2,600 grower fields and at Pioneer demonstration plots throughout the U.S.

Advances in transgenic technology and insect resistance management are occurring at a rapid pace, and it is sometimes hard to keep current. To help farmers keep up, Chris DiFonzo (Michigan State University) and Eileen Cullen (University of Wisconsin-Madison) developed the following table that presents a recent update of transgenic traits for corn.

Tom Hunt
Extension Entomologist, Haskell Agricultural Laboratory, Concord
Bob Wright
Extension Entomologist, Lincoln

Table 1. Master list of transgenic traits for corn with target pests controlled (bold) or suppressed (italicized), and refuge requirements for the Midwest. Updated May 21, 2010. By Chris DiFonzo (Michigan State University) and Eileen Cullen (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
Trait Group/ Name	Type of Bt	Insect(s)¹ Controlled or Suppressed	Herbicide Tolerance²	Refuge % & Location
Agrisure Products (Syngenta; Syngenta + Mycogen/Dow)
Agrisure CB/LL	Cry1Ab	ECB CEW, FAW, SB	LL	20% Within ½ mile
Agrisure GT/CB/LL	Cry1Ab	ECB CEW, FAW, SB	GT LL	20% Within ½ mile
Agrisure RW	mCry3A	CRW	--	20% Adjacent
Agrisure GT/RW	mCry3A	CRW	GT	20% Adjacent
Agrisure CB/LL/RW	Cry1Ab mCry3A	CRW ECB CEW, FAW, SB	LL	20% Adjacent
Agrisure 3000GT	Cry1Ab mCry3A	CRW ECB CEW, FAW, SB	GT LL	20% Adjacent
Agrisure Viptera 3110	Vip3A Cry1Ab	BCW CEW ECB FAW WBC SB	GT LL	20% Within ½ mile
Agrisure Viptera 3111	Vip3A Cry1Ab mCry3A	BCW CEW CRW ECB FAW WBC SB	GT LL	20% Adjacent
Herculex Products (Mycogen/Dow and DuPont/Pioneer)
Herculex 1	Cry1F	BCW ECB FAW WBC	LL RR23	20% Within ½ mile
Herculex RW	Cry34Ab1/ Cry35Ab1	CRW	LL	20% Adjacent
Herculex XTRA	Cry 1F Cry34Ab1/ Cry35Ab1	BCW CRW ECB FAW WBC	LL RR2³	20 Adjacent
Optimum AcreMax Products (DuPont/Pioneer)
Optimum AcreMax RW	Cry34Ab1/ Cry35Ab1	CRW	RR2	10% in the bag
Optimum AcreMax 1	Cry 1F Cry34Ab1/ Cry35Ab1	BCW CRW ECB FAW WBC	LL RR2	10% in the bag for CRW & 20% within ½ mile for ECB
YieldGard/ Genuity Products (Monsanto)
YieldGard CB (YGCB)	Cry1Ab	ECB CEW FAW SB	--	20% Within ½ mile
YieldGard RW (YGRW)	Cry3Bb1	CRW	--	20% - Adjacent
YieldGard Plus	Cry1Ab Cry3Bb1	CRW ECB CEW FAW SB	--	20% - Adjacent
YieldGard Plus w/ RR2	Cry1Ab Cry3Bb1	CRW ECB CEW FAW SB	RR2	20% - Adjacent
YieldGard VT	Cry3Bb1	CRW	RR2	20% - Adjacent
YieldGard VT Triple (VT3)	Cry1Ab Cry3Bb1	CRW ECB CEW FAW SB	RR2	20% - Adjacent
Genuity Products (Monsanto; Monsanto + Mycogen/DowAgro)
Genuity VT Double Pro (VT2P)	Cry1A.105 Cry2Ab2	CEW ECB FAW	RR2	5% Within ½ mile
Genuity VT Triple Pro (VT3P)	Cry1A.105 Cry2Ab2 Cry3Bb1	CEW CRW ECB FAW	RR2	20% Adjacent
Genuity SmartStax (GENSS) (Monsanto) or SmartStax (Mycogen)	Cry1A.105 Cry2Ab2 Cry1F Cry3Bb1 Cry34Ab1/ Cry35Ab1	BCW CEW CRW ECB FAW WBC	RR2 LL	5% Adjacent
¹ Insect targets: BCW – black cutworm; CEW – corn earworm; CRW - corn rootworm; ECB - European corn borer; FAW – fall armyworm; SB – stalk borer; WBC – western bean cutworm ² Herbicide traits: GT-glyphosate tolerant; LL-Liberty Link / glufosinate tolerant; RR2-Roundup Ready/glyphosate tolerant ³ Some hybrids are also RR2 tolerant

Table 2. List of insect resistance and herbicide tolerance traits.
Trait	Event	Gene/Protein	What it Does
Syngenta Traits
Agrisure GT	GA21	EPSPS	Glyphosate-tolerant
Agrisure CB/LL	Bt 11	Cry1Ab + PAT	Controls ECB
Agrisure RW	MIR604	mCry3Aa	Controls CRW
Agrisure LL		PAT	Glufosinate-tolerant
Agrisure Viptera	MIR162	Vip3A	Controls various Leps
Monsanto Traits
RR, RR2	NK603, MON603	CP4	Glyphosate-tolerant
YieldGard CB	MON810	Cry1Ab	Controls ECB
YieldGard RW	MON863	Cry3Bb1	Controls CRW
VT RW	MON 88017	Cry3Bb1 CP4	Controls CRW Glyphosate-tolerant
VT Pro	MON 89034	Cry1A.105 Cry2Ab2	Controls ECB
Mycogen/Dow and DuPont/Pioneer Traits
Herculex 1	TC1507	Cry1F PAT	Controls ECB Glufosinate-tolerant
Herculex RW	DAS-59122-7	Cry34/35Ab1 PAT	Controls CRW Glufosinate-tolerant

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