WASHINGTON - After four years of field tests of a new, genetically modified Bt corn under government supervision, Monsanto Co asked the U.S. Agriculture Department for permission to move ahead with commercializing the crop, the USDA said on Thursday. (ref. 2719)

In a Federal Register notice, the USDA asked farm groups, plant experts, consumer activists and others to comment on Monsanto's request by May 13.

Monsanto's new crop is genetically engineered to resist the destructive larvae of a certain corn rootworm pest. The corn plant is designed to express a naturally occurring pesticide known as Bacillus thuringiensis kumamotoensis, the USDA said.

Monsanto asked the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to grant non-regulated status to the new corn plant, saying that its studies and tests showed the crop posed no risk to the environment.

Because the corn plant involves a natural pesticide, Monsanto has also filed an application to register the crop with the Environmental Protection Agency, which regulates pesticides.

Other varieties of Bt corn have been widely used by U.S. farmers in recent years.

Last month, a National Academies of Science report urged the USDA to tighten its reviews of potential environmental effects of new biotech crops before approving them for commercial use. The independent science panel said the USDA's environmental assessments were "superficial" and that the department failed to check the impact of new gene-spliced crops after they were put on the market.

The USDA reviews about 1,000 applications each year from biotech companies wishing to either test or sell new genetically-engineered plants.

** NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed for research and educational purposes only. **