CTNBio Grants “Milestone” Approval to Brazil's GM Maize Event EH913

National Technical Commission on Biosafety (CTNBio) President Paul Barroso calls the approval of genetically modified (GM) maize event 913 a “milestone for Brazilian science” because it is the result of a 100% national public-private partnership between the companies Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and Helix.

EH913 event, which is comparable to the best Bt technology in the current market, was found to be effective to lepidopteran pests specifically on the cartridge caterpillar, a known major pest to corn, and to the sugarcane borer. During laboratory tests, the event was also found to be effective against fall armyworm larvae even when it is diluted 25 times in an artificial diet. It also exhibited the absence of cross-resistance with other Bt proteins in the market as it was found to be effective against Bt resistant fall armyworms.

President Barroso lauded the process that EH913 event went through from the development to evaluation because it was well-instructed and the assessment was able to satisfy the concerns about food and environmental safety. Frederico Ozanan Meachado Durães, General Manager of Embrapa Corn and Sorghum, also commented, “Exchanging knowledge - technical-scientific, managerial and business - is relevant to impact the productive sector and, at this moment, the approval of the EH913 event for commercial use in Brazil puts the country and its partners on a route of high contribution in the interest of the farmer and promotion of the development of Brazilian agriculture.”

Read the latest news release from Embrapa for more details.