Lincoln, Nebraska
March 23, 2005
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln
and Monsanto Co. have
signed an exclusive licensing agreement to develop crops
tolerant to the broadleaf herbicide dicamba.
This agreement is based on discoveries by UNL
plant scientists. Biochemist Don Weeks and colleagues identified
a gene that can make dicamba-sensitive crops such as soybeans
tolerant to the widely used herbicide. The university has
several patents pending on this discovery.
The university, after a competitive process,
granted exclusive license to Monsanto to integrate this trait
into high-yielding commercial crop lines. Under the agreement,
university scientists will provide technical support to move
this technology from the lab to field as soon as possible, said
Prem Paul, UNL vice chancellor for research.
“This is an example of the benefits of UNL’s
investment in high-quality research," Paul said. “This agreement
with Monsanto, a leader in agricultural biotechnology, should
help ensure that this technology becomes widely available to the
farmers who can use it to improve food production.”
Dicamba, which
is economical and doesn’t persist in soil, is effective against
most broadleaf weeds, including weeds that are hard to control.
Farmers have used it to control broadleaf weeds in grassy-type
crops such as corn and wheat. However, it is harmful to crops
such as soybeans, canola and cotton, which also are broadleaf
plants. The new technology will allow the development of
soybean and other broadleaf crops that are highly tolerant to
treatment with dicamba.
"The ability to use dicamba in the presence of
broadleaf crops will give growers more flexibility in managing
their weed control challenges. We are evaluating how to use this
new tool in concert with our current portfolio to best address
grower needs,” said Robb Fraley, Monsanto’s chief technology
officer and executive vice president.
In general, herbicide-tolerant crops allow
growers to make fewer application trips across their fields,
reducing fuel consumption. They also aid in soil-saving
conservation tillage, Fraley said.
Under the agreement, Weeks’ lab potentially could
receive up to $2.5 million over five years for further
dicamba-tolerance research. Specific terms of the agreement were
not released, said Kannan Grant, UNL associate vice chancellor
for technology development.
Weeks began searching for a genetic source of
dicamba tolerance more than a decade ago.
"We knew there were bacteria that could degrade
dicamba. The question was whether you could get one to do that
in a plant cell, which is a completely different environment,"
he explained.
Weeks’ laboratory collaborated with UNL plant
scientist Tom Clemente’s research team on extensive studies that
revealed they had an effective gene. The Institute of
Agriculture and Natural Resources' team inserted the gene and
grew out test soybean plants. Preliminary field trials showed
soybeans containing the gene can withstand spraying with dicamba
at five times the typical field use rates with no injury, but
much research and testing remain before a product comes on the
market.
Commercialization of a dicamba-tolerant product
is not expected until the first part of the next decade, Fraley
said.
Weeks said the agreement with Monsanto is a major
step in turning his findings into practical products.
"It always feels good to see your work move
toward the point where it ultimately will be useful," he said.
Monsanto is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. For more information
on Monsanto, see: www.monsanto.com.
The UNL research that led to this discovery was
conducted through the university's Agricultural Research
Division. |