<p style="text-align: justify;">Maize is susceptible to attack by a variety of insects from the time it is planted until it is consumed as food or feed. The most economically significant insect pests of maize are: <i>Ostrinia nubilalis</i> (European corn borer), <i>Diatraea saccharalis</i> (sugarcane borer), <i>Diatraea grandiosella</i> (southwestern corn borer), <i>Diabrotica</i> spp. (corn rootworm complex), <i>Helicoverpa zea</i> (corn earworm/cotton bollworm), <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> (fall armyworm), <i>Agrotis ipsilon</i> (black cutworm), <i>Elasmopalpus lignosellus</i> (lesser cornstalk borer), <i>Rhopalosiphum maidis</i> (corn leaf aphids), and <i>Striacosta albicosta</i> (western bean cutworm). Pests of secondary economic importance in maize include both soil-dwelling insects that feed on roots (e.g., wireworms, billbugs, webworms, white grubs, corn root aphids, the seed corn maggot, grape colaspis and seedcorn beetles) and above-ground insects that attack the stalk, leaf, and ear (e.g., cutworms, chinch bugs, grasshoppers, corn fl ea beetles and Japanese beetles).</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">While crop losses attributable to <i>O. nubilalis</i> and Diabrotica infestations have been well characterized and are significant, there is not as much quantitative information available on the economic impacts of other major insect pests of maize, specifically <i>H. zea</i>, <i>S. frugiperda</i>, <i>A. ipsilon</i>, and <i>S. albicosta</i>. These pests are not as widespread as corn borers and rootworms; however, crop infestations by these leaf and ear-feeding pests can be very costly to growers, as they have the potential to significantly lower grain yield and quality. Conventional insecticide applications are an option for reducing feeding damage caused by these insects; however, most growers do not treat their crops to control these pests because of cost and limited effectiveness of the chemical agents. Currently available novel varieties are not as efficacious against these lepidopteran insects as they are against <i>O. nubilalis</i>. For example, Bt11 maize containing the Cry1Ab toxin provides only limited or no protection against feeding damage caused by <i>H. zea</i>, <i>S. frugiperda</i>, <i>A. ipsilon</i>, and <i>S. albicosta</i>.</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;">Transformation event MIR162 maize has been developed by Syngenta to provide growers with maize hybrids that are resistant to feeding damage caused by a number of lepidopteran insect pests. MIR162 maize contains a Vip3Aa protein from <i>Bacillus thuringiensis</i> that is highly toxic to <i>H. zea</i>, <i>S. frugiperda</i>,<i> A. ipsilon</i>, and <i>S. albicosta</i> larvae. In combination with an <i>O. nubilalis</i>-protected maize trait, the Vip3Aa protein in MIR162 can provide growers the means of protecting their maize crops from damage caused by a broad range of lepidopteran pests.</p>
