SmartStax is a brand of
genetically modified seed made through a collaboration between
Monsanto Company
The Monsanto Company () was an American agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation founded in 1901 and headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. Monsanto's best-known product is Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide, developed in ...
and
Dow Chemical Company
The Dow Chemical Company is an American multinational corporation headquartered in Midland, Michigan, United States. The company was among the three largest chemical producers in the world in 2021. It is the operating subsidiary of Dow Inc., ...
. It takes advantage of multiple modes of insect protection and herbicide tolerance. SmartStax takes advantage of
Yieldgard VT Triple (Monsanto), Herculex Xtra (Dow), RoundUp Ready 2 (Monsanto), and Liberty Link (Dow). The traits included protect against above-ground insects, below-ground insects, and provide broad herbicide tolerance. It is currently available for
corn
Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...
, but
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
,
soybean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed.
Soy is a key source o ...
, and specialty crop variations are to be released. Previously, the most genes artificially added to a single plant was three, but Smartstax includes eight.
Smartstax also incorporates Monsanto's
Acceleron Seed Treatment System which protects against insects at the earliest stages of development. Smartstax is sold under the
Genuity (Monsanto) and
Mycogen (Dow) brands.
Insect Spectrum
SmartStax seeds control a broad spectrum of pests which includes larvae of above-ground insects such as European corn borer, black cutworm, southwestern corn borer, corn earworm, fall armyworm, western bean cutworm, and below-ground feeding larvae of western corn rootworm and northern corn rootworm.
Refuge acres
To prevent or delay insect resistance, growers plant a refuge on their farm. This is an area of non-GM plants where insect can live. These insect will not evolve resistance to GM technology. These refuge acres ensure that rare resistant insects that feed on insect-protected varieties of corn will mate with susceptible insects and slow the development of resistance.
Promotion and branding
Smartstax corn has been advertised and promoted on television, at farm trade shows, and online as Monsanto has geared up for widespread commercial release. Smartstax is sold under the Genuity Brand by Monsanto and the Mycogen brand by Dow, but both companies have the right to sell it under as many names with as many additional technologies as they wish.
Weed and insect resistance
Recently, rapid emergence of weeds thought to be resistant to
Roundup have been observed.
Horseweed,
giant ragweed and
pigweed, among others have been found growing with crops across the United States. Insects including
corn rootworm and
bollworm have also begun showing signs of resistance. In response, Monsanto has continued to develop new products. The
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...
approves use of
Bt crops. Monsanto has denied there is a problem with their product.
Transgenic events, genes, and traits
SmartStax is bred from the products of four transgenic incorporation events MON89034, TC1507, MON88017, DAS59122-7, producing traits
phosphinothricin acetyltransferase,
CP4 EPSPS,
Cry1Fa2,
Cry1A.105,
Cry2Ab,
Cry3Bb1
Delta endotoxins (δ-endotoxins) are a family of pore-forming toxins produced by ''Bacillus thuringiensis'' species of bacteria. They are useful for their insecticidal action and are the primary toxin produced by the genetically modified (G ...
,
Cry34Ab1, and
Cry35Ab1.
References
{{Genetic engineering
Genetically modified organisms in agriculture
Maize
Monsanto
Dow Chemical Company
Joint ventures