Monsanto Receives EPA Approval for Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete
11 April 2011 Monsanto’s Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete received registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which completes federal regulatory authorization in the United States, according to a press release.
The product is the outcome of a collaboration between Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company. It is a combination of each company’s industry-leading corn traits that provide farmers with multiple modes-of-action for broad spectrum control of above- and below-ground insects, and also offers two herbicide tolerance traits for flexible weed management, according to Monsanto.
“We’re committed to developing products that help improve farmers’ productivity. Farmers have told us they want a true, single-bag refuge solution, and this registration enables Monsanto to deliver,” said Brett Begemann, Monsanto chief commercial officer and executive vice president in a prepared statement.
The EPA approval enables a full-scale commercial launch of Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete for the 2012 season. The bulk of available Genuity SmartStax corn in 2012 is expected to be offered as a RIB product to meet farmer interest. Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete will launch in Monsanto’s national and regional seed brands, as well as licensee partners, according to the release.
Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete is a blend of 95 percent Genuity SmartStax corn seed and 5 percent refuge (non-Bt) seed that farmers can plant across their entire field. Farmers who plant Genuity SmartStax RIB Complete products no longer need to plant a separate, structured refuge for above- or below-ground pests in the Corn Belt, according to Monsanto. For farmers who purchase Genuity SmartStax without the RIB Complete, the structured refuge is still required.
Get The Newsletter Today!
