Seed Companies Target Herbicide-resistant Weeds

As herbicide-resistant weeds become more of a problem for farmers, seed companies are gearing up to offer more management tools for farmers to use in soybean production.

Dow AgroSciences and Monsanto are working to clear regulatory hurdles so their herbicide-tolerant traits can be sold to farmers.

The Enlist Weed Control System will feature crops, including soybeans, with a 2,4-D herbicide-resistant trait.

Ben Kaehler, Dow AgroSciences U.S. seeds general manager, says the Enlist system includes a reformulated 2,4-D (2,4-D choline) that reduces off-target movement. He says the trait is on schedule to be available for farmers to plant in 2015, pending regulatory approvals.

It was delayed due to the USDA having to complete an environmental impact statement.

Kaehler says the company also is working on a molecular stack that will confer tolerance of glyphosate, glufosinate and 2,4-D, called Enlist E3, for farmers to use. The bean is jointly being developed with Iowa-based MS Technologies.

He says they expect to widely license the Enlist traits to other companies.

Tony White, Monsanto soybean systems product development manager, says his company is nearing commercial launch of the dicamba herbicide-tolerant trait that will be stacked with Monsanto’s Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait.

The trait will be marketed as Roundup Ready 2 Xtend. He says the company expects a 2015 launch for the product and plans to license it broadly.

MS Technologies is working to develop an HPPD inhibitor as well as a stack with HPPD inhibitors and glyphosate known as Balance GT in partnership with Bayer CropScience.

Steve Schnebly, DuPont Pioneer senior research manager- soybeans, said the company also is working to include different herbicide-tolerant traits in their genetics.

Beyond weed control, companies have worked to expand their soybean-breeding efforts.

Kaehler says Dow AgroSciences has ramped up its soybean-breeding efforts by increasing seed lines and research funding for soybeans.

“We are trying to get soybean yield to be more like the increasing yield curve we’ve seen with corn over the past 10 years,” he says.

Schnebly says DuPont Pioneer also has expanded soybean-breeding efforts.

One way is to include more molecular tools that allow soybean researchers to have more access to more data points. This allows them to make better selections.

Another way they have expanded their soybean research is by opening new research centers that follow the movement of soybean production to the west including one in Nebraska.

Schnebly says the Nebraska research center will focus on group 2 and 3 soybeans.

Companies also are working on controlling pests.

Schnebly says the company is working on some native soybean traits to control soybean aphids.

“It is complex,” he says.

Schnebly explains there are different biotypes and genetics in aphids throughout the country.

He says the company is working on traits that reduce soybean aphid reproduction and make the aphids avoid those soybean varieties.

Monsanto researchers also are working on aphid-resistant traits, White says. They are in very early development.