Dow AgroSciences LLC and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., the trait’s developers, recently received confirmation that Herculex RW has received full food and feed approvals within the United States.

Herculex RW has received registration by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and deregulated status from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and successfully completed the consultation process with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).   Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer are also seeking registrations in Canada and other countries as well as grain import approvals for key export markets, such as Japan. 

“Herculex RW will give farmers built-in protection against corn rootworm, the costliest insect pest in corn,” says Wally Thingelstad, marketing specialist, Traits Licensing, at Dow AgroSciences.  “More importantly, Herculex RW will give corn growers several outstanding hybrid options when choosing corn rootworm protection.”

“This is great news for our customers,” says Paula Davis, senior marketing manager, insect and disease traits, Pioneer.  “Many growers have faced increased pressure from corn rootworm in recent years, finding that traditional methods, such as crop rotation, are no longer effective.  Herculex RW offers an excellent protection option within the seed itself for ease and efficiency.”

Herculex® RW Rootworm Protection will provide a high level of protection all season long against western, northern and Mexican larval corn rootworm.  The trait will be available in hybrids for the 2006 season from Mycogen Seeds, Pioneer and Beck’s Superior Hybrids, Inc

“Herculex RW has performed very well in field trials,” says Jon Babcock, senior research scientist at Dow AgroSciences.  “It outperformed granular insecticides and high-rate seed treatments and provided consistent protection in light to heavy rootworm pressure and in wet or dry conditions.”

"Our field trials have shown that Herculex RW provides excellent root protection and a dramatically lower number of adults emerging from the field," says Murt McLeod, agronomy sciences research manager for Pioneer.

All Herculex traits have LibertyLink® technology providing tolerance to LIBERTY® herbicide which controls more than 100 grass and broadleaf weed species on contact.

Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer also anticipate EPA registration of Herculex® XTRA Insect Protection in the near future. Herculex XTRA will combine the corn rootworm protection of Herculex RW with the broad insect protection of Herculex I Insect Protection – protection against corn borer, black cutworm, western bean cutworm and other destructive pests – to give corn growers the broadest-spectrum in-plant insect protection available. 

DuPont Statement on Final Regulatory Approval of the Herculex® RW Rootworm Insect Protection Trait

Dean Oestreich, president, DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., issued the following statement on the announcement of full U.S. cultivation, food and feed regulatory approval of the Herculex® RW Rootworm Insect Protection Trait:

"With today's approval, farmers have access to a key new option to help them battle corn rootworm during the next growing season. Pioneer is excited to bring growers the latest in high-performing rootworm protection and to provide them with yet another option to increase yield and maximize their acre-by-acre performance.

"Corn rootworm is a significant challenge in the United States, costing farmers an estimated $1 billion annually. Growers now have a new weapon in fighting this battle. Herculex RW is the second trait commercialized by Pioneer, joining the Herculex I corn borer product which was launched in 2004.

"Pioneer has the richest product pipeline in our history. With high-performing genetics, new technologies and the know-how to drive value for our customers, Herculex RW is just one of many innovations growers can benefit from in the coming years.

"We are looking for the final U.S. approval for Herculex XTRA later this year, which contains the stacked traits of Herculex I and Herculex RW. When on the market, this stacked product will offer growers the broadest in-plant insect protection available."

Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a global leader in providing pest management and biotechnology products that improve the quality and quantity of the earth's food supply and contribute to the health and quality of life of the world's growing population. 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. Dow AgroSciences has approximately 5,500 people in more than 50 countries dedicated to its business, and has worldwide sales of US $3.4 billion. Dow AgroSciences is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company.

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a subsidiary of DuPont, is the world's leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics, crop protection solutions and quality crop systems to customers in nearly 70 countries. DuPont is a science company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by solving problems and creating solutions that make people's lives better, safer and easier. Operating in more than 70 countries, the company offers a wide range of products and services to markets including agriculture, nutrition, electronics, communications, safety and protection, home and construction, transportation and apparel.

®Herculex is a registered trademark of Dow AgroSciences LLC. Herculex Insect Protection technology by Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer Hi-Bred.
™Mycogen, the Mycogen M Logo and Silage-Specific are trademarks of Mycogen Corporation.
®Liberty is a registered trademark of Bayer CropScience.