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News Release
CORN GROWERS ADVISED TO PRACTICE Bt RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT
10/30/1998 Eagan, Minn. - Farmers who grow European corn borer (ECB)-resistant corn hybrids should implement resistance management practices to preserve the revolutionary Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) technology, says Paul Bystrak, a research scientist in trait development with Mycogen Seeds.
Bt corn hybrids are a powerful tool in controlling ECB, he says, but overuse could someday lead to Bt-resistant ECB populations.
Bystrak and fellow seed geneticists at Mycogen Seeds worked with university and government officials to develop and promote a management program to help prevent Bt resistance. The program requires farmers to plant a block of corn acreage or "refuge" to a hybrid without a Bt gene.
"By planting a refuge of conventional corn along with the Bt corn, growers are providing the first line of defense against ECB resistance," Bystrak explains. "The refuge helps prevent ECB resistance by maintaining a corn borer population that is susceptible to the Bt protein. If or when a resistant moth should emerge, it's likely that it would mate with one of the far more numerous susceptible moths and produce vulnerable offspring."
He explains that the current university and government refuge recommendations Mycogen is implementing are simple but important to follow:
- Plant no more than 80 percent of total corn acreage to Bt hybrids.
- Plant non-Bt refuge acres adjacent to Bt hybrid fields.
- Do not plant Bt and non-Bt hybrid seed mixes.
- Do not use single or narrow row plantings as refuge. Refuge strips should be at least six rows wide. However, they may vary in size and shape.
- Limit total Bt corn acreage to less than 60 percent if an insecticide is used.
While Mycogen offers a variety of NatureGard® Bt hybrids, Bystrak adds that the NatureGard line also includes conventional corn hybrids with high levels of native ECB resistance that are suitable for refuge areas. These hybrids provide high levels of native ECB resistance to protect the yield potential of the hybrid, yet allow enough corn borers to emerge to keep resistance from occurring.
Though Bt hybrids have been popular, Bystrak says growers should remember that Bt is just one trait they can select. "Yield, standability, dry down, maturity and adaptability to agronomic conditions should all be considered when choosing corn hybrids," he says.
For more information about Mycogen Seeds and its products, contact your local Mycogen Seeds dealer or call (800) 380-7282.
Mycogen brand corn, soybean, sunflower, alfalfa and sorghum seeds are marketed through a North American distribution system of sales representatives and distributors. Mycogen is an acknowledged leader in developing technology-based products to control agricultural pests and improve food and fiber production.
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