Pioneer Hi-Bred sues Monsanto over seed production patents

Pioneer Hi-Bred International, a division of Dupont, is suing Monsanto, accusing the Creve Coeur-based biotechnology and seed giant of illegally using seed production methods developed by Dupont.

A lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Iowa says that Dupont developed a novel seed production technique that helps produce better corn seed by defoliating the plants before harvest.

In an interview, a Dupont spokesman, Dan Turner, explained that the technique entails spraying a solution onto the corn that "hastens the defoliation process to produce a better seed."

The process was patented by three Dupont scientists in 1996 and 2000, according to the suit. Two of those scientists now work at Monsanto.

Dupont alleges that the seed production techniques are being used at a field in Michigan.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal actions between the companies. In 2009 Monsanto accused Dupont of patent infringement on seeds that resist the company's Roundup weed killer. Soon after, Dupont accused Monsanto of using its seed technologies to monopolize the biotechnology industry.

Monsanto did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.