St. Louis, Missouri
February 23, 2007
University and other third-party
studies in 2006 have documented the superior performance of
Monsanto's YieldGard®
Plus and YieldGard Rootworm traits compared with corn products
containing the Herculex® RW or Herculex XTRA traits.
According to Clint Pilcher, Corn Technology Development Manager
for Monsanto, the findings are based on a total of 149
comparisons at trial locations conducted by 14 third-party
sources in seven states. The findings from these trials show:
- YieldGard RW or YieldGard
Plus products achieved an overall 22.8-bushel-per-acre yield
advantage, outyielding Herculex products 85.9 percent the
time.
- In third-party system
trials, Monsanto's product systems (germplasm + YieldGard
Rootworm or YieldGard Plus) achieved a 23.6-bushel-per-acre
yield advantage over Herculex RW and Herculex XTRA product
systems when both systems utilized a conventional herbicide
program (n=39).
- When Monsanto product
systems were also stacked with Roundup Ready Corn 2 and
protected with Roundup® agricultural herbicides for
broad-spectrum weed control, the "triple stack" yield
advantage increased to 28.1 bushels per acre over the
Pioneer Herculex RW and XTRA systems with a conventional
herbicide.
Rootworm Control
"The third-party data confirms the findings of Monsanto's own
trials -- that from a root-protection standpoint, both YieldGard
and Herculex technologies perform well," Pilcher said. "But when
we look at the total system, third-party research shows a clear
yield advantage for Monsanto product systems containing the
YieldGard Rootworm or YieldGard Plus traits."
Pilcher noted that trait technologies can help farmers more
effectively protect their crops from insect pests and weeds. But
it is the combination of high-quality seed genetics and advanced
biotechnology traits -- the product system -- that helps
maximize yield potential.
Participants in the systems trials included the University of
Nebraska, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, the
University of Minnesota, Purdue University, Ohio State
University, University of Illinois, and Soy Capital Ag Services.
Third-party studies also included university efficacy trials and
F.I.R.S.T. (Farmer's Independent Research of Seed Technologies),
Busey Bank, and JP Morgan.
Sample Trial Results:
Iowa State
University
In four different trials conducted at Iowa State
University, hybrids containing YieldGard Plus yielded an
average of 226 bushels an acre, while the Pioneer
hybrids containing Herculex XTRA averaged
199 bushels an acre.
Ohio State University
Ohio State University conducted a trial at two
locations demonstrating YieldGard Rootworm performance
against Herculex Rootworm. YieldGard Rootworm averaged a
5.8 bushel-per-acre advantage, winning both comparisons.
Soy Capital
In four different trials conducted by Soy Capital,
YieldGard Corn Borer and YieldGard Plus outperformed
Herculex I and Herculex XTRA 72 percent of the time.
F.I.R.S.T.
Within the F.I.R.S.T. trial comparisons, hybrids
containing YieldGard Rootworm, YieldGard Corn Borer or
YieldGard Plus outyielded hybrids containing Herculex RW
or Herculex XTRA by 13.1 bushels per acre.
Monsanto's YieldGard Rootworm
Corn technology was introduced in 2003 and YieldGard Plus was
launched in 2004. YieldGard Plus contains both rootworm and corn
borer technologies providing farmers with above- and
below-ground insect protection. In 2006, Monsanto's YieldGard
Rootworm and YieldGard Plus technologies were used by more than
60,000 U.S. corn farmers to protect yield on more than 10
million acres.
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. For more information
on Monsanto, visit
http://www.monsanto.com/ .
Always read and follow grain marketing and insect resistance
management requirements and follow pesticide label directions.
Roundup Ready® crops contain genes that confer tolerance to
glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® agricultural
herbicides.
Roundup agricultural herbicides will kill crops that are not
glyphosate tolerant.
Roundup®, Roundup Ready® and YieldGard® are registered
trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners. |
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