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Home > 2007 Farm Progress Show > Products & Brands > YieldGard VT Triple > YieldGard VT Triple™ Outperforms in Extreme Dry-Weather Conditions

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YieldGard VT Triple

YieldGard VT Triple™ Outperforms in Extreme Dry-Weather Conditions

Decatur, Ill. (August 28, 2007) —Some interesting weather dynamics have been taking place in the Corn Belt this season, testing the limits of many farmers’ corn insect management controls, including new YieldGard VT Triple™ corn technology. In the West, where it’s typically very dry, growers are experiencing a much wetter year than normal. In the East, where growers normally receive adequate rainfall, it has been abnormally dry, says Clint Pilcher, Corn Insect Technology Development Manager for Monsanto.

“These unique weather patterns can put stress on the corn plant, causing it to be more susceptible to rootworm feeding, especially in the areas of the Corn Belt experiencing drought-like conditions,” he explains.

Pilcher says that Minnesota is experiencing very dry conditions this year. “We’re observing some of the similar results experienced in Illinois in 2006,” says Pilcher. “These observations are that YieldGard VT Triple has a deeper root system and we’re seeing a healthier, taller plant than corn treated with a soil insecticide. In side-by-side trials, Herculex® XTRA also is experiencing some root injury by corn rootworm feeding. In some of these fields, we have observed a bottle-brush type of root response, which may affect the overall depth of those root systems.”

YieldGard VT™ Rootworm with Roundup Ready® 2 is Monsanto’s second-generation rootworm technology. VT is short for VecTran™, which describes a better gene-insertion process to create stacked trait hybrids. The process is much more precise, leading to better insect control and improved consistency, which should provide higher yield potential compared with the first-generation YieldGard® technology. “In 926 comparisons across the Corn Belt in 2006, we saw approximately a 13.6-bushel advantage of YieldGard Technology versus Herculex RW and Herculex XTRA,” Pilcher notes. “We are very pleased with these results.”

Last season, Monsanto conducted an extensive insect management study, which involved testing new YieldGard VT Triple against other management options. “In 2006, we had our first opportunity to observe the Herculex Rootworm technology, and, under heavy corn rootworm pressure, we saw a root response to early insect feeding that we have termed ‘bottle-brushing’,” explains Pilcher.

Bottle-brushing occurs as a result of corn-rootworm “nicking” the roots. Then, the plant, responding to that feeding, tries to regenerate the lost root tissue. "These secondary roots develop around the base of each individual root,” Pilcher says.

YieldGard VT Triple is being grown on approximately 1.5 to 2 million acres this season. YieldGard VT is the next generation of YieldGard in-plant insect-control technology.

About 2,000 growers from across the Corn Belt participated in an elite trial program this season to plant hybrids with YieldGard VT Triple. All of the farmers participating in this program – known as Innovators – are planting YieldGard VT Triple products, which combine the YieldGard VT Rootworm control and Roundup Ready 2 Technology with the YieldGard Corn Borer trait.

Media Note:
Visit www.monsanto.com/farmprogress2007 or www.monsanto.com and click on the Farm Progress logo for a full online press kit and Technology Showcase preview featuring a Monsanto agronomist blog, time-lapse video of our drought-tolerant corn and dicamba-tolerant soybeans, podcasts and audio reports, farmer reactions, and more – giving visitors a “peek over the fence.”