Corteva and Monsanto sign licensing agreement on corn insect control tech

Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), and Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today the completion of a licensing agreement for next-generation technology for insect control in corn for the U.S. and Canada that will expand options for farmers fighting corn rootworm, dubbed the “billion dollar bug” for the damage it causes. Corteva Agriscience™ will receive a license to stack Monsanto’s Corn Rootworm III and MON89034 traits with Corteva Agriscience’s insect control traits. This agreement enables the development of the next generation of insect control technology for above- and below-ground insect pests, and will be offered with the Enlist® herbicide tolerant trait for corn. Financial details of the agreement are not being disclosed.

“This collaboration demonstrates the commitment Corteva Agriscience™ has to bringing greater choice to growers, helping them increase their productivity and profitability,” said Tony Klemm, Global Corn Portfolio Leader, Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont. “The combination of Corn Rootworm III with Corteva Agriscience’s molecular stack for insect control and the Enlist® corn trait will give our customers the ability to protect yield while extending the durability of industry-leading insect trait technology.”

Monsanto’s broad licensing approach continues to put valuable, cost-effective tools into the hands of farmers when they need them most,” said Calvin Treat, Monsanto’s Global Soy and Corn Technology Lead. “We view this agreement as an endorsement for the novel mode of action that Monsanto’s Corn Rootworm III trait brings to farmers, as it builds on the current products planted today by adding a new RNAi mode of action that enhances effectiveness against one of the industry’s most destructive insect pests. Corn Rootworm III offers increased control and additional durability against the corn rootworm by providing three distinct methods of protection. Through the use of RNAi we’re able to target and control rootworms with a novel mode of action that’s different than the Bt class of proteins that is used in other insect-control products.”

This new next generation product combines Corteva Agriscience’s molecular stack for insect control and Enlist® with Monsanto’s Corn Rootworm III and MON89034 (Bt) to create a broad-spectrum insect control product with multiple modes of action for above- and below-ground pests. Pending applicable regulatory reviews, it will be offered with the Enlist® tolerant trait for corn, which provides tolerance to new 2,4-D choline, and FOP herbicides in addition to the base glyphosate tolerance. This brings additional benefits to farmers, offering more weed control options and greater flexibility.