Plant Protection and Biotech Products in the Pipeline

Abstract

This is a summary of new plant protection and biotech products for the cotton industry. Included are those products that have completed the registration and approval processes within the past year and those that will be expected to complete registration within the next year. Using these criteria, there are 5 new biotech products and 17 new chemical products. Three of the biotech products are insect protected traits and two are weed resistant cotton traits. Of the 17 new chemical products, nine are registered and eight are expected to complete registration within the year. A variety of new plant protection products offers to provide cotton growers with new and improved tools to produce and protect cotton crops. New chemical products include insecticides, miticides, herbicides, a defoliant, fungicides, a nematacide and new seed treatments for cotton seed.

Introduction

My discussion of plant protection and biotech products in the pipeline will focus on new biotech constructs and new chemical active ingredients for cotton. For this discussion, I will include products that have completed registration and approval processes within the past year and I will include new products that will be expected to complete registration within the next year. For purposes of this discussion, I will not include products based on premixes, co-packs, new formulations, or generics. Using these criteria, there are 5 new biotech products and 17 new chemical products.

New Biotech Products

There are 5 new cotton biotech products. Three are fully registered and approved by regulatory agencies. Two products are expected to gain registration/approvals within the next year. Three products are for insect protection and two are herbicide tolerant cottons.

Registered Products:

There are three new cotton biotech products that are fully registered with all regulatory approvals completed. They are:

1. Bollgard II is from Monsanto Company. Bollgard II is a stacked gene Bt cotton containing both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab genes and was introduced during 2004. About 1.5% of the acres in 2004 were planted to Bollgard II cotton cultivars. IRM for Bollgard II is the same as for original Bollgard, i.e., 80/20; 95/5 either embedded or untreated; and the community option. Bollgard II will be readily available in 2005 in a number of varieties from various seed companies.
2. WideStrike is also a stacked gene Bt cotton, containing Cry1Ac and Cry1F, from Dow Agrosciences. WideStrike completed all regulatory hurdles in late 2004 and will be launched in 2005. WideStrike will appear in Phytogen cultivars in early-to-mid varieties. First year variety offerings will be PHY 440 W in ample supplies, PHY 470 WR in limited supplies and PHY 480 WR also in limited supplies. It is important to note that Insect Resistance Management (IRM) requirements for all three Bt cotton sources (Bollgard, Bollgard II and WideStrike) are identical to those that have been in place for the original Bollgard Bt cotton ( 80/20; 95/5 either embedded or untreated; and the community option.
3. LibertyLink System is a new herbicide resistant biotech product that is resistant to glufosinate-ammonium (Ignite) herbicide. The LibertyLink product is from Bayer CropScience and will appear in FiberMax cultivars. It was introduced in 2004 and was planted to FiberMax LL varieties on about 1.5% of the acres. In LibertyLink FiberMax cotton cultivars, Ignite can be used as pre-plant burn down, in over-the-top post-emergent, hooded, or post-directed applications.

Products Expecting Registerations:

There are two new biotech cotton products that are in the regulatory approval process. They are:

1. VipCot is a Bt cotton product under development by Syngenta Crop Protection with partnership with Delta and Pine Land Company. The active Bt toxin is Vip3A which is an exotoxin produced during vegetative stages of Bacillus thuringiensis growth. The regulatory process is proceeding with Cot 102 leading the way with Cot 200 series to follow with a separate registration. VipCot offers broad control of caterpillar pests of cotton. IRM discussions and strategies are currently under study and development. A paper presented in the Insect Research and Control Conference by Alan McCaffery of Syngenta will address IRM for the VipCot technology.
2. Roundup Flex is the “new and improved” Roundup Ready cotton from Monsanto. Regulatory approval is in late stages by the three agencies regulating biotech crops. EPA approval of glyphosate cotton label changes is in late stages. Changes were necessary to accommodate glyphosate use at higher rates and later season use in Roundup Flex cotton. USDA announced in the January 3, 2005 Federal Register that the product had been declared “deregulated” status. Consultation with Food and Drug Administration is ongoing and should be concluding early in the year. Plans for 2005 include extensive testing in variety trials, company trials, and seed increases.

New Chemical Products

There are 17 new chemical products for cotton. Nine of the products are fully registered and were introduced to the market during the 2004 season or will be launched in 2005. Another 8 products are expected to complete registration within the coming year.

Registered Products:

1.        Diamond is a 3rd generation chitin inhibitor (IGR) from Crompton Corporation. Diamond, based on the active ingredient novaluron, was registered in May 2004 and was introduced the cotton market in a demonstration program in 2004. Diamond is active on the lepidopteran complex, plant bugs, stink bugs, and shows suppression of whiteflies and thrips.

2.        Prolex is a 4^th generation synthetic pyrethroid based on gamma cyhalothrin from Dow AgroSciences. It was registered in 2004 and has activity similar to cyhalothrin (Capture), but at lower rates.

3.        Zeal is an insect growth regulator (IGR) for mites and aphids. It is from Valent USA and is based on the active etoxazole (V-1283). Zeal was registered in 2004 and was introduced to cotton growers during the 2004 season. The mode of action (MOA) is unclassified or unknown at this time. Zeal is best used with an adulticide early in the season because it is only active as a adult mite sterilant and will not kill mite adults, only eggs and immature stages of mites.  For IRM purposes, only one use per season will be allowed on the label.

4.        FujiMite is another miticide from Nichino America. FujiMite, based on the active fenproximate, became fully registered in 2004.

5.        Ignite is the herbicide to be used in the LibertyLink System. LibertyLink and Ignite are products from Bayer CropScience. Ignite, based on the active glufosinate-ammonium, completed registration in 2004 and was used on a limited basis during the 2004 season. Ignite is a non-selective contact herbicide. The Ignite registration allows use on non-LibertyLink cotton during preplant burndown or under hooded sprayers. In LibertyLink FiberMax cotton cultivars, Ignite can be used as pre-plant burn down, in over-the-top post-emergent, hooded, or post-directed applications. Ignite has a new mode of action and offers quick kill of a broad range of cotton weeds.

6.        Valor (Chateau in AZ and CA) is a new herbicide from Valent USA. Valor, based on the active flumioxazin, completed registration in April 2004. Valor is used for winter weed control, pre-plant burn-down, pre-plant, pre-emergence, layby and during in-season cotton weed control.

7.        Envoke is another new herbicide from Syngenta Crop Protection based on the active trifloxysulfuron sodium. Envoke is a PPO inhibitor herbicide and was registered in 2004. Envoke can be used for post-emergence weed control after 5^th leaf and for post-directed applications. It controls most major broadleaf weeds and sedges in cotton.

8.        Suprend is a herbicide premix from Syngenta Crop Protection that I will include because it contains a new active ingredient for cotton, trifloxysulfuron sodium, the active in Envoke. It also contains prometryn to give a product with broad spectrum weed control that provides both contact and extended control of many tough weeds in cotton. Use of Suprend in cotton is intended to be by post-directed or layby applications.

9.        Dynasty CST is another premix included also because it contains a new active for cotton. Dynasty CST, a Syngenta Crop Protection product, is a three way premix for seed treatment for control of seedling diseases. It contains fludioxonil (Maxim, mefenoxam (Apron XL) and azoxystrobin. Dynasty CST, will be launched as a seed treatment product in 2005 for control of the wide range of cotton seedling diseases. The combination of the three ingredients will target Maxim for Fusarium & Rhizoconia, Apron XL for Pythium and azoxystrobin for preemergence and postemergence damping off.

Products Expecting Registerations:

There are 8 products that are nearing completion of the registration process. They are:

1. Carbine is a new insecticide from FMC Corporation. Carbine is based on the active flonicamid (FMC 1785). Carbine is a new class of chemistry, the pyridinecarboxamides, and is active against plant bugs, fleahoppers, and aphids. Carbine is expected to complete registration in mid-to-late 2005 and will be launched in 2006.
2. S -1812 (No Trade Name) is a new insecticide from Valent USA, based on the active ingredient, pyradalyl. It is a new mode of action that shows good control of lepidopterous pests. S-1812 is very near registration for cotton and will be in a demonstration program during 2005 with a full product launch in 2006.
3. Venom is another insecticide product from Valent USA on much the same track as S-1812. Venom is an aphicide based on dinotefuran (V-1283), a neonicitinoid. Venom is very near completion of registration for cotton and will be introduced in a demonstration program in 2005 and a full product launch in 2006.
4. BAS 320 I is an insecticide being developed by BASF. It is based on the active metaflumizone, which is in the semicarbizone class of chemistry. BASF expects registration is late 2006 with first sales in 2007. BAS 320 I shows broad activity on lepidopterous cotton pests and the company is researching activity on plant bugs and stink bugs.
5. Blizzard is a new defoliant from Crompton Corporation. Blizzard is based on the active fluthiacet-methyl and it is a PPO inhibitor with activity similar to Aim and ET. The company expects registration in early 2005.
6. STAN is an acronym for Seed Treatment Against Nematodes. Syngenta Crop Protection has been developing the use of abamectin as a seed treatment for control of nematodes. Syngenta expects to launch this product in 2006.
7. Topsin M is an older established carbamate fungicide that has been used for 25 years on a number of crops, but never on cotton. Topsin M, a Cerexagri, Inc. product,  will likely not be registered for cotton for 2 to 3 years, but I include it in the new products discussion because of extensive research using Topsin M for reduction of hard lock in cotton in the humid parts of the cotton belt. Actually, it was used under a Section 18 Emergency Exemption in Florida during 2004.
8. Oberon is new insecticide-miticide from Bayer CropScience. Oberon is based on the active ingredient, spiromesifen which is a ketoenol. Oberon belongs to a new class of chemistry which makes it a good tool for resistance management for mites in cotton. Oberon expects to complete registration in early 2005. Oberon also shows good activity against whiteflies in cotton.

New Product Summary

The cotton industry has a number of new plant protection products. Five products are new biotech products, with three being designed for insect protected plants and two for herbicide resistant cotton. There are 17 new crop protection chemicals for the cotton industry, nine of which are newly registered products and eight that are nearing registration. It is especially encouraging that there is a wide variety of new plant protection products. Biotech products include both insect protected biotech products and herbicide resistant products.  New chemical products include insecticides, miticides, herbicides, a defoliant, fungicides, a nematacide and new seed treatments for cotton seed.

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge my colleague Gerret Van Duyn for his contributions and assistance during the preparation of this presentation. I would also like to thank Dr. Jack Reed, Mississippi State University for sharing his information on new cotton insect control products. Finally, I want to thank the individual companies for generous assistance in providing information on their products.