St. Louis, Missouri
June 29, 2009
Monsanto Company (NYSE:
MON) announced today that soybean varieties with the Genuity™
Roundup Ready 2 Yield® trait and Acceleron™ seed treatment
system are showing an early season performance advantage over
competitive soybean products and first-generation traits in many
areas of the United States.
The new biotechnology trait is designed to deliver higher yield
potential to farmers, and the seed treatment system helps
maximize crop performance potential beginning at planting. This
is the first year of commercialization for both technologies.
These technologies will serve as base platforms underpinning the
company’s sustainability goal of doubling soybean yields by
2030, compared to a base year of 2000.
The debut of both technologies comes at a time where global
soybean stocks are dwindling as global demand for U.S. soybeans
is strong.
“In what may be a peak year for U.S. soybean acreage, more than
16,000 farmers across the Corn Belt have purchased and are
experiencing the breakthrough benefits of this new trait and
seed treatment,” said Jennifer Ralston, Monsanto’s U.S. oilseed
product management director. “Early season observations of
soybean varieties with the Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait
and Acceleron give us confidence that soybeans with this
trait-and-treatment tandem will be the industry leader in yield
performance.”
Early season data from soybeans with the Genuity Roundup Ready 2
Yield trait and Acceleron for next season demonstrates
consistent improvement in plant stand and seedling vigor, as
compared to untreated soybeans and competitive germplasm treated
with commercial seed treatments, such as CruiserMaxx®. Field
trials were conducted in multiple locations across more than 10
states.
Today, approximately one-third of the soybean seed planted in
the United States is treated. This compares to nearly all of the
corn and cotton seed planted in the United States. The value and
expected use of seed treatments in soybeans are expected to
expand as the yield potential of new soybean varieties are
increasing through the introduction of traits like Genuity
Roundup Ready 2 Yield.
“Doubling average soybean yields will take innovative scientific
advancement in breeding, biotechnology and agronomic practice
improvements, like seed treatment,” Ralston said. “In soybeans,
we see a great deal of upside yield potential and we’re very
excited about the step change that the Genuity Roundup Ready 2
Yield trait and Acceleron brings to increasing yields.”
For photographs of early season performance for the new trait
and treatment, please visit
www.monsanto.com/soybeanperformance.
Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains
focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to
produce more from their land while conserving more of our
world's natural resources such as water and energy. |
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