Mycogen Seeds announces that its grain corn hybrids with the trait combination of Herculex^® I Insect Protection and Roundup Ready^® have received regulatory approvals for grain import into Japan and Mexico.

“These import approvals for grain corn containing Herculex I and Roundup Ready increase marketing opportunities for growers of this trait combination, giving them more pest control options,” says Terry Gardner, Marketing Specialist, Mycogen Seeds.

Mycogen Seeds currently has one hybrid available containing Herculex I combined with the Roundup Ready trait, which is available for the 2005 growing season. 

“In addition to domestic uses, these regulatory approvals open up an important market for grain corn containing this trait combination, and demonstrate the growing global acceptance for the technology,” says Gardner.

“Corn with these traits offers broad in-plant insect protection, together with resistance to glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup^® herbicide and tolerance to LIBERTY^® herbicide,” he adds. LIBERTY herbicide controls more than 100 grass and broadleaf weeds on contact, expanding the weed control options available to growers with this stacked trait.

Herculex I is the first trait in a new generation of in-plant insect-protection traits for corn.  Herculex I protects the corn plant from more aboveground insect pests than other Bt corn products on the market, providing growers with full-season protection against this broad insect spectrum.   Herculex^® I guards against European and southwestern corn borer and expands protection to include black cutworm, western bean cutworm and fall armyworm. It also offers intermediate suppression of corn earworm.

The Roundup Ready trait allows growers to control weeds through a cost-efficient, broad-spectrum herbicide system, providing them enhanced flexibility in their crop protection program.

Additional insect protection traits are being developed for other corn pests, and pending appropriate regulatory approvals, Mycogen Seeds will have hybrids available with Herculex RW Rootworm Protection for the 2006 planting season and Herculex XTRA Insect Protection soon after.

Mycogen Seeds is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company and is an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC.  Mycogen Seeds is the leader in Silage-Specific^™ corn, the largest sunflower seed producer, and a leading producer of seed corn, alfalfa, soybeans and sorghum. 

^®™Mycogen, the Mycogen M Logo and Silage-Specific are trademarks of Mycogen Corporation.
^®Herculex is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC.
^®Roundup and Roundup Ready are registered trademarks of Monsanto Company.
^®LIBERTY is a registered trademark of Bayer.
©2005 Mycogen Seeds. Mycogen Seeds is an affiliate of Dow AgroSciences LLC.
Herculex insect technology by Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred.