The Eight-Trait SmartStax corn hybrid from Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences will soon hit the U.S. market. The companies expect that up to 4 million acres will be planted with this much-anticipated corn stack in 2010.

SmartStax is the outcome of a cross-licensing agreement between Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences. It combines Dow's Herculex I and Monsanto's VT Pro, as well as Monsanto's YieldGard VT Rootworm/RR2 technology and Dow's Herculex RW Insect Protection technology. The stack also uses the Roundup Ready 2 technology and LibertyLink from Bayer CropScience.

U.S. regulators will allow a refuge reduction, from 20% to 5%, for SmartStax in the Corn Belt.