ChangingCottonLandscapeNeilForrester

Following is a list of insect tolerance cotton technologies that are likely to be available in the
market in the near term.
1) Monsanto’s Bollgard 3 – Monsanto has recently announced a proposed 2014 global release
date for their new Bollgard 3 product (subject to a favorable regulatory approval process). It will
be a breeding stack of the current Bollgard 2 with the Vip 3A gene to be licensed in from
Syngenta. This should improve the potential durability of the technology from a Resistance
Management perspective and may also enhance the efficacy and range against some
lepidopteran pests.
2) Monsanto’s Lygus bug (sucking insect) tolerance - Monsanto has also announced its work to
develop Lygus bug tolerance which, if successful, will be the first transgenic technology to work
on non-lepidopteran sucking insects. However, highly mobile insects such as the heteropteran
mirids which have damaging adult as well as juvenile stages, will present a real challenge for
insecticidal transgenes which have to be ingested first to work.
3) Bayer’s TwinLink® - Bayer is also developing its own Twin Link 2-gene insect control
technology based on Cry 1Ab and Cry 2Ae from Bacillus thuringiensis. This will be stacked with
the proposed 2-gene stacked Glytol / Liberty Link herbicide tolerant technology.
4) Syngenta’s VipCot® - Syngenta is also close to commercialisation of its 2-gene stacked
VipCot insect control technology based on Cry 1Ab and Vip 3A from Bacillus thuringiensis. The
Cry 1Ab endotoxin protein is very similar to the Cry 1Ab and Cry 1Ac proteins used by all the
other companies but the Vip 3a exotoxin has a unique mode of action and will be a very useful
component for future resistance management programmes for insecticidal transgenic cottons.
However, the recent acquisition of Syngenta’s VipCot commercialisation partner Delta and Pine
Land Company leaves some uncertainty as to the commercial future of this technology.
5) CAMB Bt – CAMB (Centre for Applied Molecular Biology in Lahore) has isolated its own local
versions of Cry 1Ab and Cry 2A from Bacillus thuringiensis and has been granted a patent in
Pakistan in 2005 (Patent # 138279). Commercial agreements have been made with at least one
local company for use of this technology in cotton (both single and double gene variants) and
biosafety studies are proceeding. Backcrossing into elite local cultivars has also started.
There are also a number of other companies/institutes developing various insecticidal
transgenic cottons based on Cry proteins derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, including the
Central Institute for Cotton Research in India (for Gossypium arboreum as well as G. hirsutum)
and NIBGE in Pakistan. An Australian company Hexima is also developing insecticidal
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