Des Moines, Iowa
March 11, 2009
DuPont business
Pioneer Hi-Bred recently
completed a USD 1.5 million expansion of its insect rearing
facility to create a more self-sufficient program to support
insect control research efforts. The expansion includes
additional rearing chambers and work areas that will allow
Pioneer to increase the size of the diapausing, or hibernating,
Western corn rootworm colony. The hibernating colonies are used
to produce the corn rootworm eggs that are needed for field
testing.
“Because of this expansion, we are able to better supply our
researchers with the insects they need for their testing
programs,” said Laura Abad, senior research manager, Pioneer.
“Our diapausing colony is derived from a population that was
collected before any insect variants emerged. Therefore, by
rearing our own rootworms in-house, we can be certain that we
are not distributing any of these variants into the field in our
testing programs.”
Pioneer plans to provide all the Western corn rootworm eggs
needed for field testing by 2010. These eggs will be used at
research facilities across the U.S. to support various insect
control initiatives, including Optimum® AcreMax™ Insect
Protection and next generation insect control research projects.
In addition to rearing Western corn rootworms for field testing,
the Pioneer Insectary also has a robust non-diapausing colony of
Western corn rootworm which produces eggs year round for
greenhouse and lab testing for programs at the Johnston, Iowa,
Redwood City, Calif., and Wilmington, Del., research centers.
The Insectary also maintains a European corn borer colony. This
colony provides eggs for lab bioassays and greenhouse testing
all year long. In the spring, the colony is increased to provide
the millions of eggs needed for field testing.
Pioneer’s insect rearing facility plays a critical role
throughout Crop Genetics Research and Development, from
discovery and trait development research, to product development
and characterization, to regulatory studies. The increased
capacity allows Pioneer to better support this research. |
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