Monsanto said this week that it has set aside an additional $3 million to fund academic research into the corn rootworm, a key agriculture pest that attacks the roots of corn crops.
The funding is part of Monsanto's Corn Rootworm Knowledge Research program, which was launched in 2012 by the company and promised up to $3 million to fund three-year awards of up to $250,000 a year for academic researchers.
Among the previous recipients is Bryony Bonning, an Iowa State University investigator exploring the use of RNAi to control corn rootworms.
Monsanto has a number of internal programs aiming to use the gene-silencing technology, including ones focused on corn rootworm.