Growers in the U.S. and Canada will have more options for fighting corn rootworm as a result of a licensing agreement reached by Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, and Monsanto Company. 

Corteva Agriscience will receive a license to stack Monsanto’s Corn Rootworm III and MON89034 traits with Corteva Agriscience’s insect control traits. The 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, pending applicable regulatory reviews.

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.”

Source: Monsanto Company