No other catfish vaccines against ESC are available to the catfish industry. The new corn is low in phytic acid. Abundant in regular corn, phytic acid is a form of the nutrient phosphorus. But in its phytic acid form it cannot be used by poultry, swine and other animals with one stomach. Instead, the phosphorus winds up mainly in the animals' manure.
Rain can carry excess phosphorus to waterways, where it nourishes algae.
Unchecked algae blooms can consume all of the water's oxygen, choking out fish and other aquatic life. Cattle and other animals with multiple stomachs have natural enzymes to convert phytic acid into usable phosphorus. Feed for one-stomached animals can be treated with similar enzymes. Pioneer and other hybrid corn seed producers are breeding the trait into elite corn lines. Commercial hybrids may be released in a couple of years.