St. Louis, Missouri, USA
September 1, 2009

Farmers can count on higher yield and profit potential due to increased root biomass and more nodes per plant

Building on strong early season performance for soybeans with the Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield® trait and Acceleron™ seed treatment products, Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that soybeans with the new trait and seed treatment are demonstrating additional indicators of higher yield potential.

The new biotechnology trait is designed to deliver higher yield potential to farmers, and the seed treatment products help maximize crop performance potential beginning at planting.
“This breakthrough technology continues to meet and exceed expectations,” said Lisa Flynn, Monsanto Soybean Traits Marketing Manager. “Yield trials across the country are mirroring the benefits that our customers are reporting about Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans. We’re finding that these soybeans are demonstrating significantly higher root biomass and a greater number of mainstem nodes per plant compared to competitive products and first-generation traits.”

Increased root biomass and greater numbers of nodes per plant are important factors contributing to higher yield potential.

“The most widely used measure of growth, regardless of plant type, is biomass,” explained Technology Development Manager Aaron Robinson. “Increased root biomass allows soybeans to take up more water and nutrients during critical growth stages, such as flowering and pod fill, and that greater root mass can pay dividends during drier periods of the growing season.”

Robinson added that the increased shoot biomass Monsanto has observed in soybeans with the Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait and Acceleron Seed Treatment Products can contribute to water conservation, decreased weed competition, increased light interception and soil conservation due to earlier canopy closure.

Maximizing the number of nodes per plant is one of the keys to high yield potential, because as nodes increase, so does the number of potential flowers and pods.

“All the pieces are there with Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans,” Robinson continued. “Soybean yield potential increases dramatically with just a few more pods and seeds per plant. For example, one more mainstem node per plant could conservatively increase yield by 4 bushels per acre. Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans are about to redefine how we think about raising soybeans.”

Field trials were conducted in more than 40 locations across 20 states. For performance photographs for the new soybean trait and seed 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.

Acceleron, Genuity and Roundup Ready 2 Yield are trademarks of Monsanto Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries.

Website: http://www.monsanto.com

Published: September 1, 2009