Soon, corn growers will benefit from the introduction of the Smartstax maize which combines Dow's Herculex XTRA with Monsanto's YieldGard VT Triple PRO. Photo: Andrew Bierele

Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences have reached a global agreement on the introduction of genetically modified maize with eight introduced genes for pest resistance and herbicide tolerance. Both companies will market the maize under the SmartStax brand, with commercialisation expected by the end of the decade.

SmartStax maize combines Dow's Herculex XTRA with Monsanto's YieldGard VT Triple PRO. Each of these lines includes three Bt toxins for the control of European corn borers (Ostrinia nubilalis) and other above-ground pests as well as corn rootworms (Diabrotica spp). Herculex XTRA provides tolerance to Bayer CropScience's herbicide, Liberty (glufosinate-ammonium), while YieldGard VT Triple Pro is tolerant to Monsanto's Roundup (glyphosate).

The first eight-gene stack "leapfrogs competitive products" in boosting performance and creating value for farmers, the companies claim. SmartStax provides an "all-in-one answer to demands for comprehensive yield protection from weed and insect threats", says Monsanto's executive vice-president of strategy and operations, Carl Casale. "The combination of these trait technologies signals the start of the next generation of products with improved plant protection and yield increases for the farmer," adds Dow AgroSciences' president and CEO, Jerome Peribere.

Monsanto's YieldGard VT Triple PRO has yet to be commercialised. It will be a combination of YieldGard VT Rootworm/RR2 (MON88017), which received US approval in 2006 (Agrow No 487, p 18), with a second-generation corn borer-resistant line, YieldGard VT PRO (Agrow No 503, p 18). Dow's Herculex XTRA, which combines Herculex I and Herculex RW, was introduced in the US in 2006 after approvals for Herculex RW and Herculex XTRA in 2005 (Agrow No 482, p 22).

The companies expect to introduce SmartStax maize in the US by 2010, with a global roll-out to follow. The agreement is structured to operate in any countries where the parties receive approvals for the product. Monsanto will represent both companies for joint third-party licensing of the technology. The deal allows each company to stack additional traits with SmartStax independently. Dow highlights its DHT herbicide tolerance technology (Agrow No 527, p 25) as a potential partner. Under the deal, Monsanto and Dow will cross-license their respective insect resistance and herbicide tolerance technologies under royalty-bearing agreements. They will also cross-license germplasm for a ten-year period to create exclusive new maize hybrids that would not otherwise exist.

SmartStax maize will provide the broadest control of maize pests available, the companies point out. The primary pests controlled are European corn borers, south-western corn borers (Diatraea grandiosella), northern corn rootworms (Diabrotica barberi) and western corn rootworms (D virgifera). Secondary pests controlled are fall armyworms (Spodoptera frugiperda), black cutworms (Agrotis ipsilon), western bean cutworms (Richia albicosta) and corn earworms (Helicoverpa zea).

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