Alta Seeds offers the first herbicide-tolerant sorghum to growers

With growing demand for sorghum, growers now have the advanced technology to achieve their crop production goals with igrowth from Alta Seeds. As the first commercially available herbicide-tolerant technology for grain sorghum, igrowth will give growers the ability to realize the full potential of their sorghum acres in 2021.

Alta Seeds' igrowth delivers the advanced crop technology that sorghum growers need to meet growing demand. Advanta Seeds was the first to discover this unique, non-GMO imidazolinone (IMI) tolerance technology.

With successful launches in Argentina and Australia, Advanta is now offering this technology through its premium seed brand, Alta Seeds, to the U.S. market.

This innovative product will be revealed to growers in a virtual field day experience on July 8, 2020. Additional in-field demonstrations will occur on August 18, 2020, in Enid, Oklahoma, and September 2, 2020, in Larned, Kansas.

"The igrowth technology is a game changer, delivering the advanced crop technology that sorghum growers need to meet growing demand, improve crop production and maintain a profitable ROI," says Tanner Antonick, regional sales manager - central U.S., for Alta Seeds. "For the first time, sorghum growers have the option for both grass and broadleaf control that can be applied either pre-emergence or post-emergence. It's a huge breakthrough that will allow for a cleaner, more profitable harvest."

The igrowth production system includes a companion herbicide, IMIFLEX, which is expected to receive registration from the Environmental Protection Agency in late 2020. Research trials show IMIFLEX provides effective residual control of yield-robbing broadleaf and grass weeds in pre-emergent and post-emergent applications. Field trials show IMIFLEX can be tank-mixed with other herbicides, which helps lessen the dependence on a single active ingredient for effective weed control.

A Game Changer for Sorghum Growers

Igrowth is a non-GMO technology, discovered through advanced genetic screening of Advanta's elite germplasm. This naturally occurring tolerance means no DNA from other species or plants were introduced into the igrowth sorghum genome and igrowth has global market acceptance. When paired with the companion herbicide, the igrowth technology reduces the number of weeds competing for water and nutrients in the soil, allowing the sorghum crop greater access to crop inputs.

"The igrowth hybrids have been proven in numerous environments, including dryland and irrigated acres, for performance and yield," Antonick says. "Growers will be able to select the igrowth sorghum hybrid that best suits their locale and growing practices, appealing to growers of both high- and low-input acres."

Alta Seeds is planning to initially release five grain sorghum hybrids with early to medium maturity to fit most soil types. Approximately 20 grain and forage hybrids are in the igrowth pipeline, with adaptability to primary sorghum growing regions.