Syngenta’s corn trait stacks get approval for insect control

Syngenta‘s Canadian seeds division has picked up regulatory approval for corn stacked with genetics for what it calls the "broadest control of insects in corn trait history."

The London, Ont. company on Tuesday announced approvals for the Agrisure Viptera 3111 and Agrisure Viptera 3110 trait stacks, which it said will allow Canadian corn growers to plant crops using the technology and to export their crops to several markets.

Corn growers in Canada "can now plant hybrids with this breakthrough trait technology that provides a level of insect control previously unavailable anywhere in the industry," Syngenta Seeds president David Morgan said in a release.

Thats a reference to the Agrisure Viptera 3111 stack, which the company said will be the "most widely available" Agrisure Viptera trait stack, combining the Viptera trait with the Agrisure 3000GT triple stack.

The principal protein in the stack is Vip3A, which Syngenta described as the industrys first non-crystalline protein for above-ground control of a "multi-pest (insect) complex."

Vip3A, the company said, allows for control of corn earworm, fall armyworm, Western bean cutworm, black cutworm, dingy cutworm, common stalk borer and sugarcane borer, among others.

"Traditional insecticides" can be ineffective against a multi-pest complex, the company said, due to the "unpredictable nature" of the insects involved, and the "rapid onset" of infestations.

Agrisure Viptera corn varieties are to be available in hybrids from Syngentas NK Seeds and will also be licensed to local and independently-owned seed dealers, the company said.

The lone Viptera trait also is also approved for cultivation in Brazil and the U.S., while the Agrisure Viptera 3111 and 3110 trait stacks are approved for cultivation in the U.S.

The single Vip3A trait is approved for import to Australia, Mexico, the Philippines, Japan, the U.S. and Taiwan, the company said, noting it also has received "feed" and "environment" approval in South Korea and has entered the final stage for "food" approval there.

And the Agrisure Viptera 3111 and 3110 trait stacks are approved for import into Japan, Mexico, the U.S. and the Philippines, Syngenta added.