Dicamba tolerance for soybeans coming in 2014

By 2014 Monsanto should have approval to offer farmers a new soybean system to help with tough to manage and glyphosate resistant weeds. The company announced their new Roundup Ready® Xtend Crop System last week at Commodity Classic.

Simone Seifert-Higgins with Monsanto says the first biotech-stacked traits in soybeans will include dicamba tolerance.

"The system consists of multiple points,” she said. “One is of course the germplasm. Second is the trait, and the dicamba tolerance trait was added on the proven Roundup Ready 2 technology, pretty much realizing high yield potential there. But having the opportunity to use dicamba for in-season weed management is an additional plus growers can use for effective weed management. So not only do we have effective weed management by using this product in-season, the product can also be used pre-emergence.”

She tells HAT the Xtend name comes from the extended weed control growers get in several ways.

"It extends the weed spectrum that can be controlled with this particular technology. It extends the length of time you will have for your control, and it also extends the window to make a more timely application post emergence.”

Monsanto is working with Purdue weed scientist Bill Johnson, and field demonstrations should be available in Indiana this season.

"We’re very excited about the work we’re doing with him and he is actually testing dicamba tolerant soybeans for us to develop the regional weed management recommendations. We are still working on the exact details in terms of what demonstration trials will be available for viewing in Indiana this season.”

The Xtend Crop System will be part of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready PLUS Weed Management Solutions platform, which offers weed management recommendations are developed in conjunction with leading academics, agronomists and other industry partners for control of tough weeds.

Once approved, the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System will be available in all Monsanto soybean brands, and broadly licensed to independent seed companies. Although soybean farmers will have first access to Roundup Ready Xtend crops and Roundup Xtend herbicide, Monsanto also plans to have a follow-up introduction for cotton.

Monsanto and BASF have been collaborating on the advancement of next generation low-volatility herbicide technology to be used in the Roundup Ready Xtend Crop Systems.

Seifert-Higgins is Dicamba/Selective Chemistry Technology Development Manager for Monsanto.