Virus-resistant squash, the first of which was approved in 1994, was the first crop considered for which there are populations of interbreeding wild relatives in the major areas of squash cultivation in the United States, and with a trait that has the potential in theory to alter the fitness of the crop plant or its wild relatives. The analysis demonstrated that there was no potential for increased weediness of either the crop or its relatives as a result of cultivation in agriculture of the new squash variety. Insect-resistant crops, of which a potato developed by Monsanto Agricultural Company was the first approved in March 1995, may have the potential to offer an alternative to the use of chemical insecticides. The insect-resistant corn developed by Ciba Seeds was the first new corn variety that has been determined not to pose a potential plant pest risk. The modification in the corn line may offer the potential for control of European corn borer, which has not heretofore been effectively managed.
Corn is the leading crop in terms of economic importance in the United States.
Virus-resistant papaya, which was approved in 1996, was the first new product developed by academic researchers in collaboration with USDA scientists. This organism, a transgenic predatory mite, may be potentially useful for the control of spider mite in strawberries and other crops. The particular transgenic organism was modified only by the addition of marker DNA sequences, which are not expressed and do not alter any of its phenotypic characteristics. An Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact was prepared in support of the agency decision to authorize the field trial, and these documents have also been made available electronically. The nematode, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora , is a native nonpathogenic organisms widely distributed across the United States.