Syngenta seeds submits registration of Agrisure Viptera to EPA

Syngenta Seeds, Inc., has submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) an application for the registration of its Agrisure Viptera 3220 trait stack, featuring two modes of action against all major lepidopteran corn pests and a reduced refuge of 5% in the Midwestern Corn Belt.

The Agrisure Viptera 3220 trait stack combines the forthcoming Agrisure Viptera trait, featuring the breakthrough Vip3A protein, the industrys first "non-Cry" (non-crystalline) insect control protein and a completely new mode of action in corn. In addition, the stack contains the trusted and tested Agrisure CB/LL trait, the Bt11 event, which has been protecting corn from European corn borer for more than 10 years. The Agrisure GT trait for glyphosate tolerance and the Herculex I trait for corn borer round out this stack.

"We understand growers need new tools to combat the yield loss and grain damage from the multi-pest complex," said David Morgan, president of Syngenta Seeds. "This stack is designed to deliver the latest, most innovative broad-spectrum lepidopteran control technology in areas where those pests pose the major threat to maximizing yield."

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is currently reviewing the Agrisure Viptera trait for deregulation. The trait has already received approval from the EPA both as a single trait and in a stack with the Agrisure CB/LL trait. This stack has been approved for a 20% refuge in cotton-growing areas. With the Agrisure Viptera 3220 stack, Syngenta currently is seeking a 5% refuge in the Corn Belt and a 20% refuge in cotton-growing areas.

The Agrisure Viptera trait has been shown to control damaging insects from the multi-pest complex, including corn earworm, fall armyworm, Western bean cutworm, black cutworm, stalk borer and sugarcane borer. Collectively, the multi-pest complex damages 238 million bushels of corn each year and costs U.S. corn growers $1.1 billion annually in lost yield and grain quality.

These pests are unpredictable, time-consuming and difficult to scout, which makes them difficult to treat effectively with conventional insecticides. Corn earworm, in particular, historically has had no viable control solution.

In addition, the damage from the multi-pest complex causes stress and injury to plant tissue, which allows spores from fungi to gain access, proliferate and produce mycotoxins. These mycotoxins have the potential to cause health problems in animals and humans when found in grain at concentrations above the acceptable threshold. The Agrisure Viptera trait has demonstrated an ability to significantly reduce development of molds and mycotoxins in research conducted by Texas A&M University and Syngenta.