Strip-tillers fighting damage from corn rootworm (CRW) can look forward to some new technology for the 2026 growing season with the expected release of Syngenta’s hybrids containing the first-in-the-industry 3 Bt trait stack. 

Bruce Battles, Syngenta’s technical manager for Seeds and Agronomy, says over multiple years of testing the three-prong molecular Bt trait shows a roughly 50% decrease in rootworm damage when compared with current 2 Bt-trait approaches, and in some trials provides 4-5% yield increases in fields with known high rootworm pressure.

The new genetics, currently undergoing evaluations for eventual EPA registration, ride a novel laboratory approach that essentially allows the insertion of the traits as a single molecular stack, a tool that speeds up development of genetic engineering and opens the door for much quicker product development in the future, Battles explains.

“Using the new molecular stack approach alone has shown small improvements even with our current 2 Bt protein stacks just from converting from a traditional breeding stack approach to the molecular stack and inserting them in the plant that way,” he explains.

The proprietary 3 Bt molecular stack uses eCry3,1AB and mCry3A proteins specifically for CRW management. The third CRW Bt trait comes from adding the DP4114 molecular stack which contains the Cry34/35Ab1 protein.

A review of research and published reports back to 2016 shows some fields across the Corn Belt have shown limited instances of CRW resistance to Cry34/35Ab1 but such resistance has been inconclusive on a widespread basis.

Battles says the molecular stack approach to field performance improvements should be evident in many new hybrids in the next class of potential genetic advances that have strong emergence in cool, wet soil conditions often seen in no-till fields.

A product name for the new 3 Bt trait stack is expected in the first half of 2025.