About 100 corn growers from the Western Corn Belt this spring will try out DuPont Pioneer’s new pyramided Bt hybrids, under the brand name Qrome . The Qrome hybrids will express four Bt proteins already on the market, but with a proprietary new molecular stacking technology. Two of the proteins, Cry1F and Cry1Ab, target above-ground pests. The other two, mCry3A and Cry34/35Ab1, target the western corn rootworm. Based on company data, Pioneer is marketing the Qrome hybrids as producing a 4- to 7-bushel-per-acre yield bump over competitor’s pyramided Bt corn hybrids. However, Qrome hybrids are still under stewardship and not fully commercialized yet, as the company is still awaiting Chinese import approvals.
The Bt proteins Qrome hybrids express may have reduced effectiveness in certain parts of the Corn Belt, because of Bt resistance in populations of insects such as the western corn rootworm, western bean cutworm and fall armyworm.
To read more about Qrome, see Pioneer’s press release here: http://bit.ly/…
For more information on the Bt proteins in Qrome and which pests they may have reduced effectiveness against, see the Handy Bt Trait table from Michigan State University entomologist Chris DiFonzo here: http://msuent.com/…
