Vegetative Insecticidal Protein or VIP is a new biotech trait that Syngenta has been working on for 18 years. According to Bruce Battles, agronomy marketing manager with Syngenta Seeds, the Viptera trait, a combination of VIP and the Latin word for earth, has shown excellent activity on major insect pests such as the corn earworm (or bollworm). But it is also controlling less well-known insects such as Western bean cutworm, a pest which can cause significant yield losses in the Corn Belt when conditions are favorable. Battles discussed the new trait in an interview at the Syngenta Seeds Field Day near Slater, Iowa.