Achievements
in Plant
Biotechnology
1999

NewLeaf Plus insect- and virus- protected potatoes, offered by Monsanto's NatureMark division, help to provide growers with in-plant, season-long control of the Colorado potato beetle, a significant pest previously controlled with pesticides, and potato leafroll virus (PLRV), a plant disease transmitted by the green peach aphid. As in Bollgard cotton and YieldGard corn, NewLeaf Plus potatoes are protected against insects by the Bt gene, while protection against potato leafroll virus is provided by a gene that prevents the virus from duplicating itself within the plant.

NewLeaf Y, NatureMark's most recent product, received full U.S. regulatory approval in January 1999. Also a multigene product, NewLeaf Y helps to provide Russet Burbank and Shepody potato varieties with protection against the potato virus Y (PVY), which is a common destructive viral disease spread primarily by aphids. New Leaf Plus and NewLeaf Y seed potatoes are the first varieties on the market to be protected against both insect damage and viral disease.

Grower Benefits
Seed potato growers who plant NewLeaf Plus and NewLeaf Y varieties have the opportunity to improve the quality and quantity of production in their fields as compared to fields planted in conventional seed potatoes. Further, protecting the plants against PLRV and PVY viruses may increase the likelihood that the seed growers' harvest will be certifiable for sale.

Environmental Profile
By growing New Leaf Plus and/or NewLeaf Y potatoes, growers potentially can reduce the amount of insecticides they apply to their crop - an advantage that is environmentally sustainable and economically attractive. In fact, 1998 and 1999 commercial field trials showed that, on average, NewLeaf Plus growers reduced their chemical insecticide use by 80 percent. The combination of insecticide reduction and virus protection provided growers with an average savings of $150 an acre as compared to fields planted in conventional Russet Burbanks.

Innovations
Other products in NatureMark's pipeline include bruise-resistant potatoes that can tolerate labeled over-the-top applications of Roundup herbicide. Field trials conducted from 1996 through 1999 have validated these new technologies, which are in the product development phase.

Technology Transfer
If biotechnology-derived crops are to enhance yield potential and grower profitability in developing countries, the technology must be transferred and adapted to local growing conditions and customs. A Monsanto project aimed at transferring virus-resistant potato technology to Mexico is demonstrating that this new technology can help to benefit small-scale growers in developing areas of the world.

The joint project between the Mexican government and Monsanto, which began in 1991, has shown 5 percent yield increases in potatoes modified to resist PVY and PVX viruses. The yield benefit appears to reach 22 percent when resistance to PLRV is added to the potato seeds.

For more information on NewLeaf Potatoes visit the Biotech Basics link.

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