Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. has rolled out 40 new seed corn hybrids engineered to tolerate the use of Roundup, a popular weed-killer, on cornfields.
Des Moines-based Pioneer announced the new product offerings Tuesday. Most of the products were developed using existing hybrids whose yield potential already has been proven, company officials said.
"There's demand from our customers," said Jerry Harrington, a Pioneer spokesman. "Growers, particularly in the western part of the Corn Belt, see this as a way to save on cost and time."
Roundup is a well-known, and potent, weed-killer. The herbicide is most effective after weeds have begun to appear, but it also kills corn plants if the corn hybrids are not bred to tolerate it.
Monsanto Co. developed Roundup-resistant technology, and dozens of crop seed companies, including Pioneer, have used the technology to add tolerance to the herbicide in their soybeans.
So-called Roundup Ready soybeans, first introduced in the 1990s, have been widely adopted by U.S. farmers. This year, more than 80 percent of all U.S. soybean acreage was planted with the genetically engineered soybeans.
Industry officials do not expect adoption of Roundup-resistant corn to be as widespread, because growers have more options for weed control in corn than in soybeans, Harrington said.
source: http://desmoinesregister.com/business/stories/c4789013/22799294.html 19nov03
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