Swiss-based agrochemicals firm Syngenta has developed a variety of soyabeans resistant to destructive aphids and will make the product commercially available in 2009.
Syngenta is showcasing the new variety at test plots around the US Midwest. The United States is the world's top producer and exporter of soyabeans, which are used to make animal feed and vegetable oil.
Aphids can cut soyabean yields by 10 percent to 15 percent. The sap-sucking insect was first discovered in the Midwest in 2000.
The aphid-resistant trait is based on a gene discovered at the University of Illinois in 2003. It is a "native" trait, meaning the gene occurs naturally in soyabeans and is not genetically modified through biotechnology. Syngenta transferred the gene using multiple backcrosses into Midwestern varieties.
Syngenta produces chemicals to fight a host of weeds and fungi and is a leading developer of seeds for genetically altered pest-resistant crops.
The company vies with Bayer's CropScience for the No 1 spot on the global agrochemicals market.
Syngenta is positioning itself to take on farm giant Monsanto in the highly competitive marketplace for genetically modified seeds.
Earlier this month, Syngenta launched a joint venture with US firm DuPont Co to sell their proprietary genetics for corn and soyabeans to US and Canadian seed companies.