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For more information on ATTRIBUTE, read the "Attribute Grower Guide"
If you purchase ATTRIBUTE, you are required by the EPA to fill out and sign a
Stewardship Agreement for your farm.
ATTRIBUTE insect-protected hybrids are sweet corn
varieties that have been genetically enhanced to
provide strong protection against damage by European
corn borers, corn earworms and fall army worms.
These hybrids carry a gene that enables them to
produce the same insect control protein as Bacillus
thuringiensis (Bt) - a naturally occurring soil
bacterium that some growers spray on their fields to
control these pests. When target insects consume a
small amount of plant tissue from an ATTRIBUTE
insect-protected hybrid, the Bt protein binds to
their digestive systems causing them to stop feeding
and die within 48 hours.
ATTRIBUTE insect-protected hybrids produce the Bt protein throughout their leaves, silks, stalks and ears throughout their lives, enabling them to provide season-long protection against these potentially devastating insect pests – protection that won’t wash off in the rain or degrade in the sun. The Bt protein is more targeted than other types of insect control, so beneficial insects such as ladybugs and assassin bugs tend to thrive in ATTRIBUTE sweet corn fields, providing another layer of pest control.
ATTRIBUTE insect-protected hybrids enable growers to reduce their use of the chemical pesticides they would normally apply to control European corn borers, corn earworms and fall army worms by as much as 50%. The potential benefits of applying chemical pesticides less frequently include:
- Lower input
- Less drift.
- Less run-off.
- Less frequent need for spray-related worker safety regimens.
- Less plant damage from spray-related machinery.
- ATTRIBUTE insect-protected hybrids have received regulatory
approval from the USDA, EPA, and FDA
- In the field,
the Bt protein found in ATTRIBUTE insect-protected
hybrids is only targeted to lepidopteron insects
that naturally feed on corn plants or pollen; it
does not produce adverse effects in other types of
insects or other species.
- A 1996
nutritional analysis by an independent laboratory
found the nutritional profile of ATTRIBUTE hybrids
was substantially equivalent to similar non-Bt
hybrids.
- All ATTRIBUTE
insect-protected sweet corn seed is clearly labeled
as such on the packaging.
- A distinctive
blue seed coating further differentiates ATTRIBUTE
seed from traditional sweet corn seed, which
typically has a pink coating.
Note: ATTRIBUTE sweet corn varieties are relatively
new and have only been observed in a limited number
of large-scale field trials. Performance may vary
under more adverse weather or insect pressure. So,
we strongly encourage ATTRIBUTE sweet corn growers
to carefully monitor their fields for insect
infestation and use chemical control measures, if
necessary, to prevent economic damage.
YieldGard¨
is a trademark of, and used under license from,
Monsanto Company. ATTRIBUTE¨ and ROGERS¨ are
registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.
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