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Memphis, Tennessee
August 8, 2003
VipCot* Will Offer Cotton Growers a New Choice for Transgenic
Control of Worms
Syngenta has chosen
VipCot™ as the brand name for its first transgenic cotton
product. The company’s extensive research shows that VipCot
provides cotton plants with broad-spectrum, full-season
protection from lepidopteran pests.
“We put a great deal of effort into selecting a distinctive name
for this product that will resonate with cotton growers,” said
Todd Martin, U.S. market manager – Syngenta Plant Science cotton
business team. ”As our first transgenic offering for cotton, we
wanted to make sure the name clearly differentiates our product
- which expresses a unique protein - from other insecticidal
traits. We wanted growers to know we are offering them something
different.”
VipCot employs vegetative insecticidal protein (Vip), which was
discovered by Syngenta in 1994. Although derived from the
bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), Vip is structurally and
functionally different from the d-endotoxins employed in current
traits. Due to this novel mode of action, cotton growers can
potentially use VipCot as an effective tool for insect
resistance management.
Dozens of possible product names were evaluated internally, as
well as through telephone surveys and focus groups with cotton
growers. Growers endorsed the name VipCot as illustrating that
the product offers a distinct new protein for controlling target
cotton pests. By providing another transgenic option for insect
control, VipCot is expected to complement and strengthen the
Syngenta cotton portfolio of seed treatments and foliar
insecticides, including Cruiser®, Curacron®, Centric®, Denim®
and Karate® with Zeon Technology™.
Syngenta research also indicates that Vip is expressed
throughout the entire plant and provides complete plant
protection from cotton bollworm, American bollworm, native
bollworm, tobacco budworm, pink bollworm, beet armyworm, fall
armyworm, cabbage looper and soybean looper.
“We have conducted extensive testing internally, with Delta and
PineLand Company through our research collaboration, and with
university cooperators, to evaluate the performance of VipCot in
the lab and in the field,” said Frank Shotkoski, Ph.D. global
cotton traits technical manager for Syngenta. “That research
indicates that VipCot effectively protects cotton plants against
damage from target species including tobacco budworm and
bollworm, ultimately helping to protect yield.”
Syngenta
is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable
agriculture through innovative research and technology. The
company is a leader in crop protection and ranks third in the
high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2002 were
approximately US $6.2 billion. Syngenta employs some 20,000
people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss
stock exchange (SYNN) and in London (SYA), New York(SYT) and
Stockholm (SYN). Further information is available at
www.syngenta.com.
*Important
Notice: VipCot is not currently registered for sale or use in
the United States and it is therefore not being offered for
sale. This release does not constitute an offer for sale. VipCot
will not be available for sale until EPA has approved
registration and all necessary authorizations have been granted.
VipCot™, Cruiser®, Curacron®, Centric®, Denim® and Karate®, with
Zeon Technology™ and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a
Syngenta Group Company.
Denim® and Karate® with Zeon Technology™ are restricted use
pesticides. |
