American Cyanamid Company and The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center have signed a global licensing agreement to bring a powerful technology for weed control to the production of rice, the second largest crop on a global basis.

The imidazolinones are a unique family of crop protection products for weed control that were
developed by Cyanamid Agricultural Products Research Division. The imidazolinones work on an
enzyme which is present in plants but not in animals, birds, fish or insects. This selectivity makes the imidazolinones non-toxic to humans and wildlife while providing outstanding weed control. Farmers around the world use imidazolinone based products to control weeds in crops that are naturally tolerant to these environmentally compatible herbicides.

Dr. Tim Croughan, with the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, initially identified two rice plants with natural tolerance to imidazolinone herbicides. This trait is currently being bred into high yielding varieties and into advanced lines by Dr. Steve Linscome, also with the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station. American Cyanamid is currently conducting studies required to obtain regulatory approval for imidazolinone use on rice.

"American Cyanamid is delighted to be able to provide a new technology tool to rice growers around the world which can improve their yields through this new approach to controlling weed competition," said Dr. Howard Minigh, President of Cyanamid Global Agricultural Products.

"This special collaboration with industry will allow the LSU Ag Center and the people of Louisiana to participate in bringing this technology to farmers in ways we couldn't do alone," said Dr. William B. Richardson, chancellor of the LSU Agricultural Center. "This licensing agreement also will provide additional support for the ongoing research of the LSU Agricultural Center's Rice Research Station and the Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station."

The LSU/Cyanamid agreement is one of the most recent efforts by Cyanamid and collaborators to
develop and market herbicide tolerant crops. Cyanamid was the first to market a herbicide tolerant crop with the release of imidazolinone tolerant maize in 1992, followed by imidazolinone tolerant canola, known as SMART' canola in Canada, in 1995.

American Cyanamid Company is a subsidiary of American Home Products Corporation (AHP), which is one of the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical and health care product companies. AHP is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. It is also a global leader in vaccines, biotechnology, agricultural products, and animal health care.

Company news release
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