Comparison of broiler performance when fed diets containing corn grain with insect-protected (corn rootworm and European corn borer) and herbicide-tolerant (glyphosate) traits, control corn, or commercial reference corn.

A 42-d feeding experiment with growing Ross x Ross 508 broilers showed that the nutritional value of insect-protected and herbicide-tolerant corn was comparable to that of the genetically similar control and 5 commercial reference corn hybrids. MON 88017 provides protection from feeding damage by coleopteran pest corn rootworm and is tolerant to the action of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the Roundup family of agricultural herbicides. MON 88017 x MON 810 was developed by the traditional breeding of MON 88017 with MON 810, which provides protection from the European corn borer and other lepidopteran pests. A randomized complete block design was used with 8 dietary treatments in each of 5 replicated blocks of pens. No differences among diets were observed (P > 0.05) in performance (final live weights, feed intake, feed conversion, and adjusted feed conversion), carcass yield (chill, fat pad, breast, thigh, wing, and drum weight), or percentage of moisture, protein, and fat in breast meat and moisture and fat in thigh meat. Thigh protein was similar (P > 0.05) in broilers fed diets containing MON 88017 x MON 810 and conventional control or all commercial reference corns; however, differences (P < 0.05) were noted for the percentage of thigh protein among broilers fed the control and 2 of the 5 reference diets, attributable to biological variability among the conventional corn hybrids. Broilers overall performed consistently and had similar carcass yield and meat composition when fed diets containing MON 88017 or MON 88017 x MON 810 as compared with those fed the conventional control and commercial diets, supporting a conclusion of nutritional equivalence.