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SmartStax - Game Changer or Just Another New Play?
Sep. 22, 2009

Listen to Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto talk, and it's all but over for any seed company that doesn't offer SmartStax. However, at Pioneer and Syngenta, nobody's ready to throw in the towel.

Is the new pyramiding of traits in a bag truly a game changer, as suggested by Brent Stauffacher, SmartStax product manager at Dow AgroSciences? If so, how will competitive dealers position themselves in this "new game," where multiple modes of action in pest control and herbicide tolerance are offered in a single package? Throw in significant reductions in refuge requirements, and it's easy to see why Stauffacher is confident.

"The implication for our dealers and retailers specifically is the opportunity to differentiate their offering from others in the marketplace," said Stauffacher. "SmartStax offers the broadest spectrum of control ever available in the plant. It really allows growers to focus on other parts of their operation. When you talk to growers, it's something they understand very quickly."

The concept of pyramid structuring of traits is one that has been well received by the Environmental Protection Agency. Christian Krupke, assistant professor, entomology, Purdue University, said it is a strategy that has a strong scientific basis on one hand and yet has its own share of negatives.

"These proteins (speaking of the insect controlling Bt traits included in SmartStax) both have had great efficacy against rootworm in the past, so putting them together is the next logical step," he said. "The concern is that there is very little independent field data to support it. For example, much of the reduced refuge argument is based on modeling. However, this has been the trend with these registrations recently-this one is not unique."

Volunteer Corn Concerns
Krupke's concern focuses on the already increasing prevalence of herbicide-resistant volunteer corn in following year soybeans and, even more so, in corn on corn. Recent research results reported by Krupke and Bill Johnson, associate professor, weed science, Purdue University, suggest that volunteer corn doesn't have the full dose of insecticidal Bt. This, the two warn, could contribute to the development of resistance.

"Putting (volunteer) plants out there that allow larvae to survive despite the presence of insecticidal traits is a red flag. It has the potential to raise the risk of resistance development," said Krupke.

In field tests, the Purdue researchers found that more than half of the volunteer plants expressed some amount of Bt, and of those, some had severe rootworm damage-suggesting sublethal doses of the toxin. Sublethal exposure to toxins is one way that resistance can begin to develop in insect populations. The weedy corn problem is exacerbated with pyramiding glyphosate and LibertyLink tolerance in SmartStax, explained Krupke. Dual herbicide tolerance is also the case with several stacked products on the market for several years.

"Adding another herbicide tolerance trait, which has allowed growers to rotate away from Roundup, also means having another herbicide that won't control volunteer corn," he said. "The problem isn't insurmountable in soybeans; but in corn on corn, SmartStax will make it almost impossible to treat the crop with currently available herbicides once it is up and growing. Cultivation will be about the only option."

Approval Expected in 2010
Whether Krupke's concerns about SmartStax deter farmers or not, Pioneer is moving forward with its own effort to "change the game" with its integrated refuge concept for corn rootworm control. Optimum AcreMax 1 utilizes a high percentage of seed with the Herculex XTRA trait and a lower percent of Herculex I trait in the same bag. Bill Belzer, senior marketing manager, North American Corn, Pioneer Hi-Bred, is confident the approach will gain EPA approval for the 2010 planting season. He is equally confident that upon approval, growers with rootworm concerns will find the reduced, integrated refuge option, combined with the proven track records of hybrids and traits, attractive.

"This isn't a matter of integrating multiple traits into a hybrid and wondering what will happen," said Belzer. "Farmers know what these traits and these platforms will do. We have a lot of research (in-field and mathematical modeling) that has gone into developing Optimum AcreMax 1, and we wouldn't pursue a solution that would jeopardize the long-term viability of these trusted traits."

Belzer argues that the idea of interspersing rootworm refuge plants with trait-protected plants will actually protect against resistance development better than separate refuges do. He notes that corn rootworm larvae don't travel far in the field. Having susceptible refuge plants interspersed across the field will allow any potential rare resistant rootworms to mate with susceptible rootworms, reducing the potential of resistance development. This is especially true of hybrids with the Herculex RW trait because of the way it works to control corn rootworms, added Belzer.

"Based on the research we've done on the Herculex RW trait, it serves as an anti-feedant," he said. "Target pests take a bite and reject it as a viable food source. With Herculex RW, they move on to other plants and generally die of natural causes (pests, starvation, etc.). Based on the way the Herculex RW trait works, we don't see any issues with resistance developing through volunteer corn."

One of Pioneer's strengths with Optimum AcreMax 1 is the ability to combine existing traited seed to achieve a product to sell. Newly stacked or restacked seed stocks don't have to be built up. However, growers will require increased education, acknowledged Belzer. Growers with above-ground pest control needs will still need to establish a required 20 percent above-ground refuge. Pioneer's answer to that is Optimum AcreMax 2, which they hope to have in the market for the 2012 growing season.

"We are very keen to help folks understand what they need on a field-by-field basis for traits and genetics," said Belzer. "A one size solution doesn't fit the wide array of growers we serve."

Other Factors To Consider
The importance of options and multiple solutions is one reason Syngenta spokespersons express confidence that neither SmartStax nor AcreMax are the final answer. They point to the broad range of factors beyond corn rootworm and European corn borer that growers need to consider while selecting the most productive hybrids. Syngenta is staking its defense against SmartStax on products it plans to introduce for the 2010 season-the expanded pest control of AgriSure Viptera and Avicta seed treatment for nematode control. With these and existing products in hand, Syngenta is confident its retailers will more than hold their own.

"In the central Corn Belt, growers who have managed their refuge acres well for corn rootworm and other pests aren't going to see the return on investment being claimed for SmartStax," said Chuck Lee, corn product-line head, Syngenta. "In southern markets, we believe Agrisure Viptera (also allowed a refuge reduction to 20 percent) will outperform SmartStax in yield because it controls a broader range of pests."

"It's the first non-chry protein brought to market and is a unique mode of action that growers will be able to use for a long time," said Tracy Mader, AgriSure marketing manager, Syngenta. "It controls a complex of pests that are diverse, can be erratic and can affect the crop at multiple times of the year."

Lee isn't rejecting the concept of pyramiding. In fact, he acknowledges the EPA support for the concept and that Syngenta will be utilizing the strategy in the future. "We believe pyramiding by traits isn't the only solution," said Lee. "It is multiple modes of action that will bring sustainability to pyramiding."

The 2010 market may well determine which approach is indeed a "game changer," if any. How extensively and quickly SmartStax is licensed by independents will be a good indicator of acceptance.

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