Monsanto and BASF announce progress in annual collaboration pipeline update

Monsanto’s annual research and development (R&D) update was announced recently, highlighting project progress across the company’s breeding, biotechnology, and improved agronomics platforms, all aimed at sustainably maximizing farmer productivity while conserving resources like water and land. Monsanto has a pipeline of exciting products in development, including yield and stress work in collaboration with BASF Plant Science. This yield and stress collaboration focuses on key row crops with joint investments of $2.5 billion over the life of the collaboration.

Early pipeline progress

2013 brought encouraging results for the BASF-Monsanto early pipeline for yield and stress traits. From tests in corn a promising pool of new lead yield and stress gene candidates was identified. They will fuel a deep pipeline for “stacking”, which is the combination of yield and stress genes to achieve the maximum yield advantage for the farmer.

Drought-Tolerant Corn

This year, Monsanto highlighted the full commercial launch of Genuity® DroughtGard® Hybrids, developed in collaboration with BASF. The system is designed to help the corn plant so it can use less water when drought stress occurs. This hydroefficiency creates the opportunity to conserve soil moisture and can help minimize yield loss from drought conditions.  After a strong performance in 2012 Ground Breakers® trials, DroughtGard® Hybrids corn products out-yielded competitor drought-marketed products in the Western Dryland area by more than 5 bushels per acre in 2013. As all pending import approvals in key export markets were secured in the course of 2013, Genuity® DroughtGard® Hybrids can now be sold commercially without any additional stewardship requirements.