Syngenta receives import approval from South Korea for the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack

Date:03-02-2011

Syngenta Seeds, Inc. announced it has received import approval from regulatory authorities in South Korea for hybrids containing the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack.

The Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack combines the Agrisure Viptera™ trait with the Agrisure® 3000GT trait stack to provide unprecedented control of 14 above- and below-ground corn pests, more than any other commercially available product in corn trait history. This approval allows the importation of U.S. corn grown from hybrids containing the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack into South Korea for food, feed or processing use. South Korean authorities previously approved the single Agrisure Viptera trait in October 2010.

"Import approval from South Korea provides U.S. corn growers access to yet another valuable market,” said David Morgan, president of Syngenta Seeds. “With corn prices expected to remain at near-record levels this year, the advantages of growers enjoying more yield from the same number of acres are plain to see.”

Corn hybrids with the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack have an in-seed defense against the multi-pest complex, which includes corn earworm, fall armyworm, Western bean cutworm, black cutworm, dingy cutworm, stalk borer and sugarcane borer, among others. Syngenta estimates damage from these pests costs U.S. corn growers 238 million bushels of corn and $1.1 billion in annual yield and grain quality losses.1 In recent field trials, the Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack nationally delivered a 7.3 bu/Aadvantage under ear-feeding pressure.

The Agrisure Viptera 3111 trait stack features Vip3A, the industry's first vegetative insecticidal protein, or VIP. Vip3A has demonstrated highly effective control of the multi-pest complex, creates new options for insect resistance management (IRM) and will serve as the platform for future Syngenta insect control and refuge solutions.

Beyond in-field yield and grain quality reductions, the damage from the multi-pest complex also allows spores from fungi to gain access, proliferate and produce mycotoxins. Finding mold and mycotoxins in corn can be financially and emotionally devastating, as grain with concentrations above acceptable thresholds has limited to no market options.  In research conducted by Texas A&M University and Syngenta, the Agrisure Viptera trait demonstrated an ability to significantly reduce development of molds and mycotoxins.

The Agrisure Viptera trait is approved for cultivation in the U.S., Canada and Brazil, and is approved for import into Australia, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, New Zealand and South Korea.

Currently, the Agrisure Viptera trait is available in hybrids from Garst, Golden Harvest and NK brands from Syngenta and will also be made available through licensing agreements with more than 150 local and independently owned seed companies.