Corteva Agriscience, BASF and MS Technologies sign agreement to bring industry-first soybean trait stack to market in United States, Canada

Corteva Agriscience, BASF and MS Technologies™ announced they have entered into a mutually beneficial trait licensing agreement to develop next-generation Enlist E3^® soybeans with the nematode resistant soybean (NRS) trait for farmers in the United States and Canada.

As part of this agreement, Corteva and MS Technologies have licensed the Enlist E3 soybean trait to BASF for development with the NRS trait in BASF germplasm. BASF has licensed its NRS trait to Corteva and MS Technologies for use in Enlist E3 soybeans. The three companies anticipate commercialization of Enlist E3 soybean varieties containing the NRS trait in the late 2020s, pending applicable regulatory reviews and completion of field testing.

The new NRS trait is expected to provide unprecedented protection against nematode pests in soybeans, including soybean cyst nematode (SCN). A common parasite in North America, SCN accounts for more than $1 billion¹ in economic losses for U.S. farmers each year. The NRS trait provides yield protection above and beyond the current industry standard native SCN resistance traits, including PI88788 and Peking, as well as protection against some of the most economically important nematode species for soybean farmers beyond North America, including Pratylenchus brachyurus².

Drone photo from a 2021 BASF field trial plot near Kewanna, IN

"Our nematode resistant soybean trait will be the first commercially available biotechnology trait developed to control nematodes," said Linda Trolinder, Senior Vice President of BASF Seeds and Traits R&D. "BASF is in its 5th year of advanced field testing the NRS trait in the U.S. and in our trials, it has demonstrated an average 8% yield benefit above today's SCN-resistant varieties."

The Enlist^® weed control system is an industry-leading system for soybeans, corn and cotton. Enlist E3 soybeans are tolerant to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate and glufosinate herbicides, giving farmers additional options to manage resistant and hard-to-control weeds.

"Farmers have embraced the Enlist E3 soybean trait, which offers maximum flexibility among the industry's various weed-control systems," said Tim Glenn, Executive Vice President, Seed Business Unit, Corteva Agriscience. "The addition of the NRS trait to Enlist E3 soybeans is a logical next step for Corteva. Offering both trait technologies together will provide soybean farmers with additional functionality for pest management."

The Enlist E3 soybean trait is jointly developed and owned by Corteva and MS Technologies and was commercialized in 2019.

"We are pleased to see the technology fit various growing environments. The agreement between MS Technologies, BASF and Corteva enables access of Enlist E3 soybeans to more farmers in the United States and Canada," noted Joseph Merschman, President of MS Technologies. "We are excited to be working toward a new, sustainable option for farmers who want to manage weeds and nematodes in high-performing soybean varieties."

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

¹ Bandara AY, Weerasooriya DK, Bradley CA, Allen TW, Esker PD. 2020. Dissecting the economic impact of soybean diseases in the United States over two decades. PLoS ONE 15(4): e0231141. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0231141. Accessed June 15, 2022.

² Based on BASF field trial data.