Sometime between now and the end of the decade Monsanto plans to launch a new corn rootworm 3 trait that could give corn farmers a much-need additional option for controlling rootworms. The trait will use a relatively new tool called RNAi, a concept first discovered 10 years ago that allows plant to turn off processes as well as start new ones as with more traditional genetic modifications. Monsanto’s Robb Fraley discussed the new concept in an interview at the Farm Progress Show.
RNA is the abbreviation for ribonucleic acid, a family of molecules that perform vital roles the expression of genes. The little i stands for “interference.” RNAi is being used extensively in pharmaceuticals and is beginning to become part of the gene strategies of companies like Monsanto.
Read the full, original story here: “New mode of action could play role in next stage of GMO crop development”
