Tuesday,16 November 2010

Monsanto SA receives cultivation approval for MON89034 (Yieldgard II) and MON89034 x NK603 (stacked trait) in South Africa.

Maize farmers in South Africa are now one step closer to planting improved next-generation technologies to support the world’s growing demands for food and feed. Monsanto Company has secured cultivation approvals for MON89034 (YieldGard II) and MON89034 x NK603 (stacked trait) in South Africa in terms of the GMO Act, Act No 15 of 1997.

“These approvals are great news for our customers. It confirms our undertaking of bringing the best technology to our customers as well as Monsanto’s position as a leader in the field of biotechnology. We are glad that we have been able to register these new traits and that we now have cultivation approvals.” says Kobus Lindeque, Area Director Monsanto Africa.

Monsanto applied via the Directorate Biosafety of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for general release of an improved insect resistant genetically modified maize and a genetically modified maize product that contains two traits in the same hybrid. The inserted traits concerned are insect resistance and herbicide tolerance (MON 89034 and MON89034 x NK603). The general release is intended for the entire region in South Africa where maize is grown.

The combination of these traits into a single plant provides maize growers with excellent stalk borer control, reduced chances of insect resistance development and tolerance to applications of the Roundup® herbicide formulations with resultant excellent weed control. The Roundup Ready system supports sustainable agricultural practices such as no-till planting that reduce erosion and soil compacting while conserving fuel, which can lead to a significant reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide.

The combined hybrids were developed using conventional breeding techniques by crossing two parent lines each containing one of the traits to produce hybrids that contain both traits (YieldGard® II [insect resistance] and Roundup Ready® [herbicide tolerance]).

YieldGard II contains both the cry1A.105 and cry2Ab2 genes. These genes express protein enzymes which confer resistance of the maize to stalk borer larvae attack. These genes are derived from the common soil microbe Bacillus thuringiensis and the protein it expresses has activity on insects belonging to the Order Lepidoptera and more specifically Busseola fusca andChilo partellus, both maize stalk borers. The proteins are very specific in their activity on a few Lepidopteran families with no effect on other non target maize insects, birds, animals or humans. Maize hybrids that contain both genes express different insecticidal effective proteins. These proteins require different receptor sites in the mid guts of the target insect pests. The combined proteins will therefore act as one of the mechanisms to delay the development of resistance to these insecticidal active proteins.

Maize hybrids that express the Cry1Ab protein have been commercialised in South Africa since 1998 and have provided excellent Lepidopteran (stalk borer) control for all maize farmers countrywide. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the use of harsh pesticides to control these insect pests that are responsible for dramatic yield reductions if not adequately controlled.

Whereas maize plants are susceptible to non-selective Roundup® herbicides, Roundup Ready® maize hybrids have been genetically modified to tolerate Roundup herbicide applications. This has been achieved through genetic modification of maize plants using a particle acceleration method to insert a gene that expresses a protein, EPSPS or 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase. The gene is derived from a bacterium, Agrobacterium spp.. This gene produces the CP4 EPSPS protein that allows the maize plant to tolerate applications of Roundup herbicide. Growers are able to use a reliable, environmentally friendly and cost effective herbicide treatment, which will be effective for the control of problem annual and perennial weeds.

The same Roundup Ready® maize event has been planted commercially in South Africa since the summer season of 2003.

Monsanto’s research and development pipeline is focused on developing new agricultural traits and crop varieties that provide benefits to both growers and consumers. Monsanto invests more than $1,2 million per day to identify and develop new solutions for growers – looking at ways to keep growers at the forefront of a competitive global market. These products are aimed at helping growers maintain a competitive edge in the agricultural marketplace and delivering benefits to the grower.

Ends
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Enquiries can be directed to:
Magda du Toit, Corporate Communication Manager, Monsanto SS Africa
Mobile: 27 82 388 0187
Tel: 27 11 790 8254
Fax: 27 11 790 8362
Magda.du.toit@monsanto.com

About Monsanto Company
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to produce more from their land while conserving more of our world's natural resources such as water and energy. To learn more about our business and our commitments, please visit: www.monsanto.com. Or www.monsanto.co.za. Follow our business on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MonsantoCo, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MonsantoCo, or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.