How are petunias and rootworms connected?
CUSTER COUNTY - What started as an experiment to change the color of a purple petunia to a deeper purple led to a breakthrough in the treatment of cancer and AIDS and is also allowing the Ag community to produce a better product.
It started with Professor Richard Jorgensen, an American molecular geneticist, working to get a deeper shade of purple petunia. To his surprise, his experiment with RNA (Ribonucleic acid), a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes, yielded a white blossom and a bloom that was variegated with some purple.
Technology is foundational to our life inventing new medicines as well as aiding in crop production. That type of technology has benefited the grower over the past 30-plus years in the science behind the RNA and BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) corn seed has allowed the grower to increase crop production and use less insecticides which is better for the environment, all while getting another avenue for a better yield.
Warren Coulter, Pioneer Territory Manager-CEE said, “We continue to evolve,” when talking about the RNAi technology and growing better crops. Taking the RNA traits and adding the “i” has introduced the ability for interference to suppress a gene that attracts rootworms. Growers have found another mode of action to yield-robbing pests. The corn rootworm larva causes over a billion dollars of damage annually to the Ag industry.
Conrad Hueftle of Ag Advisory Services said, “We are excited to see how the new RNA traits preform.”
Currently, the Bayer seed companies such as DeKalb and Channel are offer