Natural Refuge Option Now Available for PhytoGen® Brand Cottonseed Containing WideStrike®

INDIANAPOLIS - July 24, 2007 - Dow AgroSciences is pleased to announce that a natural refuge option for WideStrike® Insect Protection, found exclusively in PhytoGen® brand cottonseed, has been accepted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

With this option, cotton producers in eligible areas won't be required to plant a non-Bt cotton refuge for PhytoGen brand cottonseed containing WideStrike since other crop and non-crop plants serve as a natural refuge. A non-Bt cotton refuge will still be required as part of an Insect Resistance Management (IRM) program for PhytoGen brand cottonseed containing WideStrike planted outside of eligible areas.

"We're committed to maintaining PhytoGen brand cottonseed as an industry leader. This natural refuge option allows growers to plant more high-yielding PhytoGen brand cottonseed while maintaining a strong defense against troublesome cotton pests with the powerful two-gene insect protection of WideStrike," says Joe Sobek, global business leader for cotton at Dow AgroSciences. "It's another way we are continuing to offer growers the freedom to choose proven in-plant cotton protection from a trusted cotton industry leader."

WideStrike provides season-long protection against leaf-, square- and boll-feeding worms using innovative in-plant technology. WideStrike® Insect Protection is a two-gene insect protection trait that expresses the Cry1F and Cry1Ac proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) in cotton plants, a gene combination not found in any other Bt cotton.

The natural refuge for PhytoGen brand cottonseed containing WideStrike comes after extensive scientific research showed that a sufficient number of cotton bollworms and tobacco budworms - key pests controlled by WideStrike - were present on non-cotton crops and other plants. The presence of these pests outside of cotton, partnered with the dual-gene insect control efficacy of WideStrike, greatly reduces the chance that these pests will develop resistance to the technology.

Eligible regions
The natural refuge option is available for PhytoGen brand cottonseed containing WideStrike planted in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas (excluding the following counties: Brewster, Crane, Crockett, Culberson, El Paso, Hudspeth, Jeff Davis, Loving, Pecos, Presidio, Reeves, Terrell, Val Verde, Ward and Winkler) and Virginia.

The EPA previously established prohibitions on the planting of Bt cotton in the Texas Panhandle counties of Carson, Dallam, Hansford, Hartley, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Roberts and Sherman as well as south of Highway 60 in Florida. These restrictions still apply with the approval of a natural refuge for PhytoGen brand cottonseed containing WideStrike® Insect Protection.

Additionally, cotton producers who plant PhytoGen brand cottonseed containing WideStrike outside of regions eligible for the natural refuge option must continue to plant a non-Bt cotton refuge. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in the loss of access to the technology.

"Dow AgroSciences is excited to be able to offer many cotton growers a more convenient and economical approach to effectively manage important cotton pests by enabling them to plant PhytoGen brand cottonseed containing WideStrike without Bt cotton refuge requirements," says Sobek.
Dow AgroSciences LLC, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a top-tier agricultural company providing innovative crop protection, pest and vegetation management, seed, and agricultural biotechnology solutions to serve the world's growing population. Learn more at www.dowagro.com.

For Editorial Information: 
Amanda Powell
Bader Rutter & Associates Inc.   
(770) 356-1480
apowell@bader-rutter.com