• SYNGENTA unveils Vegetative Insecticidal Protein
• BAYER/ FiberMax
• Monsanto roll out transgenics
• VIP Cotton from Syngenta

VEGETATIVE insecticidal protein derived from Bacillus thuringensis (Bt) has proved effective against Heliothis armigera and punctigera in Australian trials, a spokesman for Syngenta Crop Protection says.

Frank Shotkoski, global traits manager for Syngenta, says Vegetative Insecticidal Protein -- VIP -- has a different mode of action to other Bt products.

Syngenta hopes for a limited release of VIP technology next year in the US, and 2006 in Australia.

"So far, from the data we are picking up in Australia, it looks like it is going to do a very good job against armigera, and it is very good against punctigera, so we are confident VIP is going to be a very good fit for the Australian grower," says Mr Shotkoski.

VIP does not bind to the same gut proteins in insects as Cry1 Ac or Cry1 Ab. This capacity to bind to different proteins from the midgut of the insect triggers a different type of action by VIP, differentiating it from current Bt technology.

Normally, endotoxins are expressed in the Bt at a late stage as a crystal, but VIP is expressed out of the Bt during the early vegetative stage of growth, and hits essentially almost every major lepidopteran insect pest of cotton, Mr Shotkoski says on the weekly CSD Web on Wednesday video (www.csd.net.au),

"It does not form a crystal in any stage, and has a completely different mode of action.

"It has a very broad spectrum of activity against a lot of different types of lepidopteran cotton pests in the US, including tobacco budworms, cotton bowl worms, the Spodoptera species, armyworms and loopers.

"Because of the fact that it has a new mode of action, it is going to represent an excellent alternative for growers interested in insect management, and should alter the way we deal with refuge programs.

"We have not been able to do any side-by-side trials with products that are currently on the market, but comparing yields in given areas, we feel we have a product that is very competitive with what is currently on the market, as far as controlling the major pests of cotton in the US," Mr Shotkoski says.

Second wave in the pipeline
Agnet-Southeast Farm Press
www.southeastfarmpress.com   

BY next year, no less than four new cotton biotechnology traits are, according to this story, expected on the market. This season alone, Bayer CropScience/FiberMax Seeds and Monsanto are rolling out new transgenic technology.

At the recent Southeast Cotton Conference, the story says that representatives from Monsanto, Dow AgroScienes, Bayer CropScience/FiberMax Cotton Seed, and Syngenta discussed the second wave of biotechnology and what it will offer farmers in the field.

Walt Mullins, Monsanto cotton technical manager, was quoted as saying Bollgard II offers "increased efficacy, expanded spectrum, a better resistance management tool, a better IPM tool, better yield potential and hopefully simpler, easier insect control for growers."

VIP Cotton from Syngenta

INTERVIEW with Frank Shotkoski, pictured, Global Traits Manager, Syngenta -- field performance of VIP cotton against various Lepodopteran cotton pests in the US

Frank, can you explain to us what "VIP" is?

VIP, our VIP technology, is an insecticidal protein from the Bacillus thuringensis, but it is not a standard delta-endotoxin. The VIP stands for Vegetative Insecticidal Protein and that means that it is expressed out of the Bt during the vegetative stage of growth. Normally the delta-endotoxins are expressed in the Bt in the late in the sporulating stage as a crystal.

VIP is expressed during that early growth stage and is excreted out into the media, so VIP in effect is actually an exotoxin from the Bacillus thuringensis. We are trying to differentiate it from the delta-endotoxin by calling it VIP.

VIP-cotton is to help us differentiate from the standard delta-endotoxins. And so the important things about this protein are that it is structurally very different from any if the Delta-endotoxins that are known. It does not form a crystal in any stage and has a completely different mode of action compared to any of the Delta-endotoxins that are currently been studied. It has a very broad spectrum of activity against a lot of different kinds of leps; tobacco budworms, cotton bowl worms, the Spodoptera species, the armyworms, and the loopers. It hits essentially almost every major lepidopteran insect pest of cotton.

The only one I know that it doesn’t have an effect on is European corn borer, which is a minor problem in some of the areas in northern cotton belt in the USA. We feel that because the fact that it has a new mode of action its going to be, its going to represent excellent alternative for farmers or growers that are interested in insect resistant management And we feel that as this since it does have a completely new mode of action it should alter the way we deal with our refugee programs

So you have gone through all the species that it works on, at the dosage that it is being expressed at in the plant, what sort of control are you getting?

What we are seeing is levels of controls that are comparable to what’s already on the market. We may not be getting quite as good as control of virescence as tobacco budworm as we might see with the Cry 1Ac’s but what we are seeing for activity against zea, armigera and all the other spectrums is very good.

We haven’t been able to do any side-by-side trails with products that are currently on the market, but from what we have seen in just looking at trails and comparing yields in given areas, we feel that we have a product that’s very competitive with what’s currently on the market, as far controlling all the major insects pests of cotton.

So what stage is the program up to in the US?

As far as integration work for varieties that are going to be available on the US, we are looking at 2004, a very limited introduction in 2004. We have submitted a regulatory package to the US authorities before Christmas in 2002 with anticipation that we would get approval of this product in early 2004, for a limited introduction.

And what are your other plans globally; will we see the product in Australia?

Where we are at the introgression programs in Australia: we are looking at 2006, as being the most likely period of time that it would be available in Australia. And so far from the data we are picking up from the Australians, looks like its going to do a very good job against the armigera, looks like its doing a very good against punctigera, so we’re confident that VIP is going to be a very good fit for the Australian grower.

Could you explain a little bit about the different mode of action of VIP’s? It does come from the same bacteria as conventional Bt’s, so why is it different?

Well the main thing that is different about VIP is the mode of action is very different from what we know about all the delta-endotoxins. For example is this particular section here, I have been able to demonstrate that we cannot compete off Cry1Ac or Cry1Ab from an insect midgut using VIP-3, which would which is a good experience to illustrate that VIP is not binding to the same proteins. And what I’ve shown in this particular slide here is, is that this is a western block or a ligan block that shows the proteins from the insect midgut that VIP would bind to.

We know that there are certain proteins that the delta-endotoxins do bind to these are -peptidases, cateherans and big large glycongeates that are known to be receptors for the delta-endotoxins. VIP 3A does not bind to any of those same proteins. We see a prominent binding to a 80-kilodalton protein and to a minor binding to a 100-kilodalton protein.