Nashville, Tennessee
January 10, 2008
Monsanto announced today that it is working with
glufosinate-tolerant traits in its cotton technology programs.
The company’s work with glufosinate-tolerant traits paves the
way for the development of the industry’s first three-way stack
of herbicide-tolerant technologies across its cotton business
including Roundup Ready Flex, Dicamba-tolerance and Glufosinate
tolerance. The glufosinate trait is under license from Bayer
CropScience and reflects the company’s multi-partner stacking
strategy.
“Our research and development programs are focused on developing
technologies, both through in-house discovery and through
licensing, that can offer benefits to cotton producers,” said
Rich Voth, Monsanto’s market development manager on the project.
“By adding glufosinate tolerance to our pipeline, we will be
working with traits for three different active ingredients and a
series of technologies that can broaden the modes of action
available to producers.”
Cotton growers have found herbicide-tolerant varieties work well
on their farms. In fact, the USDA estimates that more than 80
percent of the cotton acres planted in 2007 included the Roundup
Ready or Roundup Ready Flex traits. A limited number of
glufosinate tolerant varieties are marketed under the
LibertyLink trade name.
“The established Roundup Ready traits will ultimately be joined
by dicamba and glufosinate tolerance,” Voth adds. “Producers can
look forward to having several options in the same field,
letting them choose the best means of control for the particular
weeds and conditions they face. We will be able to offer
multiple weed management options in season and the breadth of
herbicides will be a key component in mitigating weed
resistance.”
Kevin Eblen, Delta and Pine Land business lead, said the
combination of Deltapine’s elite genetics with the traits offers
cotton producers even greater benefits.
“The Deltapine legacy has been built on market leading genetics
and service,” Eblen says. “And our technology and breeding
programs have proven records. We look forward to pairing our
elite germplasm with these additional technologies in the future
to offer our customers even more potential.”
Monsanto has numerous traits in development for the company’s
focus crops. The two herbicide tolerance traits – dicamba and
glufosinate are in phase 1 of a five phase process or early
development, along with drought tolerance and lygus protection.
Bollgard III is in phase 2 and has the potential to increase
in-plant insect protection.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. |
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