Commercialization is progressing as planned for DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred's Optimum AcreMax 1 Insect Protection, says the company, as the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published official notice of its intent to convene a Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) for the rootworm control’s regulatory submission. The SAP – a panel of seven experts from a range of scientific disciplines – will provide advice to the EPA on the science supporting Optimum AcreMax 1.
Pending regulatory approval and field testing, Optimum AcreMax 1 is expected be the first reduced and integrated corn rootworm refuge product in the marketplace allowing growers to lessen rootworm refuge acres and therefore raise overall farm yields, while still ensuring the preservation of in-plant insect protection traits, says Pioneer. Currently, growers who use Herculex RW or Herculex XTRA seed products to control corn rootworms must plant 20% of their acres with seed products not containing those two products to create a refuge for susceptible insects, in order to help prevent the development of resistance to in-plant insect protection traits.
Pioneer is expected to introduce Optimum AcreMax 1products in 2009.
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