EPA Extends Registration For Monsanto's YieldGard Rootworm And YieldGard Plus Insect-Protected Corn Technologies

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has extended the registration of two YieldGard insect-protected corn technologies developed by Monsanto Company. The registration for YieldGard Rootworm insect-protected corn technology has been extended through the 2010 growing season and the registration for YieldGard Plus has been extended through the 2008 growing season.

"Extension of these registrations is great news for America's corn farmers and assures that they will continue to have access to these valuable seed-based insect-protection technologies," says Ernesto Fajardo, vice president of Monsanto's U.S. crop production business.

About YieldGard Rootworm And YieldGard Plus Corn Technologies

YieldGard Rootworm corn contains a protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a common soil microbe that specifically targets corn rootworm larvae, allowing the corn plant to naturally protect its roots against the damaging corn rootworm.  The corn rootworm has earned the nickname the "billion-dollar bug" as USDA estimates this pest causes $1 billion in lost revenue annually to the U.S. corn crop.

YieldGard Plus corn provides growers with in-seed protection, allowing the corn plant to protect itself against the damaging Western and Northern corn rootworm larvae and the European corn borer.

Corn growers first planted Monsanto's YieldGard Rootworm technology in the U.S. in 2003, and YieldGard Plus hybrids have been on the market since 2005. Monsanto's mid-season estimates highlight that corn hybrids containing the company's YieldGard Rootworm insect-protected corn technology were planted on roughly 9-10 million acres of the U.S. corn crop this year.