DuPont Pioneer IMPACT trials advances local product

Date:02-04-2013

There is no one size fits all solution for growers when it comes to corn and soybean performance. The uniquely designed DuPont Pioneer IMPACT™ (Intensively Managed Product Advancement Characterization and Training) trials collect results that provide accurate information about how potential new Pioneer® brand corn hybrids and soybean varieties perform in real-world field environments.

Pioneer products are targeted to meet specific grower needs and matched to local environments to provide the right product for the right acre.

"Through the IMPACT trials, we test new products before they are commercially available, alongside existing Pioneer products and competitor lineups,” says Jerrod Tanke, DuPont Pioneer IMPACT lead for Iowa and Missouri. “We collect numerous data points, thoroughly evaluating products to validate trait characteristics for local growing environments."

IMPACT trials allow Pioneer researchers and agronomists to test genetic lines and evaluate dozens of products in more environments than with traditional research alone. Throughout the growing season, products are evaluated in reduced-stress conditions as well as poorly drained soils, drought-prone areas, corn-on-corn production, high disease pressure, and a wide variety of other conditions. The trials assess traits for stress resistance, yield, standability, herbicide resistance and insect protection. The IMPACT trials allow Pioneer to accurately advance and characterize the best products for local environments, ultimately helping growers achieve higher and more consistent yields.

"With each local IMPACT trial, finding a uniform field location is crucial,” says Keith O’Kelley, an IMPACT lead based in Tennessee. “We want to compare products fairly and accurately, eliminating as many variables as possible, to fully understand how certain products perform better than others."

The compact trial layout places a high number of products in an environment consistent in both growing conditions and management practices. Each trial is located in a grower’s field, allowing the grower,or cooperator, to see firsthand how the newest products and technologies perform. The cooperator also takes part in the performance assessment, walking the plots alongside Pioneer personnel. With the performance data from the IMPACT trials, Pioneer is able to help growers find the best product solution for every field.