September 30, 2010

Monsanto sells YieldGard VT PRO

Monsanto has begun selling in Brazil its YieldGard VT PRO - a second-generation biotech corn developed for pest control.

The YieldGard VT PRO corn is the only technology that has two types of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) protein that ensure a more efficient control of the corn culture's main pests (corn caterpillar, corn earworm and corn borer).

"Additionally, YieldGard VT PRO is the only technology that enables a reduction in conventional corn refuge area to 5% from 10%," said Sandro Rissi, the corn and sorghum marketing manager at Monsanto do Brasil.

The Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a Gram-positive, soil-dwelling bacterium commonly used as a biological alternative to pesticides and it has been used in organic agriculture for decades. When worms feed from the YieldGard VT PRO corn leaves, they ingest the protein that acts directly on their digestive tube.

The YieldGard VT PRO technology has also been sold in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Philippines, Taiwan, US and Canada.