<p style="text-align: justify;">Maize (Zea mays L), otherwise known as corn, is the world&rsquo;s third leading cereal crop, behind wheat and rice, and is grown in over 25 countries worldwide. The majority of grain and forage derived from maize is used as animal feed, however maize also has a long history of safe use as food for human consumption. The grain can be processed into industrial products such as ethanol (by fermentation), and highly refined starch (by wetmilling) and sweetener products. In addition to milling, the maize germ can be processed to obtain corn oil and numerous other products. The majority of maize is grown for animal feed production and human food, however an increasing percentage is being used for the production of ethanol as a biofuel alternative to petroleum products from fossil sources.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">MON 89034 was developed as a second generation insect-resistant maize product to provide enhanced benefits for the control of lepidopteran insect pests. MON 89034 produces the Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 proteins derived from <i>Bacillus thuringiensis</i>, which are active against lepidopteran insect pests. MON 89034 is intended to serve farmers&#39; needs for controlling a wider spectrum of lepidopteran pests and help assure the durability of insect-resistant maize. MON 89034 provides control of <i>Ostrinia</i> species such as European corn borer (ECB) and Asian corn borer, and <i>Diatraea</i> species such as southwestern corn borer (SWCB) and sugarcane borer. MON 89034 also provides a high level control of fall armyworm (FAW) throughout the season and improved protection from damage caused by corn earworm (CEW). In addition to the wider spectrum of insect control, the combination of the Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 insecticidal proteins in a single plant provides a much more effective insect resistance management (IRM) tool. The results of mathematical modeling indicate that biotechnology-derived plants expressing two Cry proteins will have significantly greater durability than plants producing either of the single proteins if the cross-resistance between the Cry proteins is low and the mortality of susceptible insects caused by each of the individual proteins is at least 90%. Comparative biophysical studies indicate that the Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 proteins have important differences in their mode of action, specifically in the way in which they bind to the lepidopteran midgut. Therefore, the probability of cross-resistance between these two proteins is low. Furthermore, <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in planta</i> studies with Cry1A.105 and Cry2Ab2 demonstrate that both proteins are highly active against the primary lepidopteran pests of corn (ECB, SWCB, CEW, and FAW), particularly ECB, achieving close to or greater than the critical 95% level of control in all cases.</p>
