Buoyed by the effects of last season's drought still being felt in many states, farmers across the corn-growing area have selected Monsanto's DEKALB^® drought-tolerant corn plants with deep, strong root structures to help withstand drought conditions and reduce yield loss.  
 
A root comparison study was conducted at Monsanto's Gothenburg Water Utilisation Learning Centre in Gothenburg,Nebraska, US, which showed the benefits of deeper root systems. The study incorporated a root dig and revealed the featured DEKALB product to have a significantly deeper, more evenly spread root structure than competitive products. DEKALB brand's thick, deep root structure allows corn plants to reach crucial moisture locked within the subsoil, sucking up more water, nutrients and ultimately leading to healthier ears and outstanding yield potential.
 
"DEKALB brand has really been a leader in the development of what's going on below ground, so they can produce 700-800 kernels per year," said Michael Petersen, lead agronomist with Orthman Manufacturing, a tillage and earth-moving company which participated in the root dig excavation. 
 
Since more water and nutrients are contained from 30-80 inches below ground, deeper roots can help plants withstand lengthy drought stress. "We see that when we have a deeper root system, it has a chance to be able to get water from all of that soil profile compared with only taking it predominantly from the upper 20 inches," he said.
 
According to the US Drought Monitor accessed through the USDA website, many states across the US currently display drought conditions ranging from severe to exceptional, including regions in the Western Great Plains.
 
For  2013, corn farmers in these areas can look forward to deeper roots and strong yields with DEKALB^® Genuity^® DroughtGardâ„¢ Hybrids-Monsanto's latest tool for combating drought stress. DEKALB will lead the stewarded commercial introduction of new Genuity^® DroughtGardâ„¢ Hybrids this season.
 
Genuity^® DroughtGard™ Hybrids combine the DEKALB brand's drought-tolerant genetics, which have been developed through the brand's industry leading breeding programme, with the industry's first drought-tolerant biotech trait and agronomic practices. In the 2012 growing season, Genuity DroughtGard Hybrids experienced strong performance in trials, with commercial products showing a yield advantage of more than five bushels-per-acre over competitor hybrids.
 
"The Gothenburg root dig demonstrated the superiority of DEKALB^® drought-tolerant genetics," said Mark Reiman, Monsanto's Gothenburg Learning Centre agronomist. "Combining those breeding genetics with the new drought-tolerant biotech trait in DroughtGard™ Hybrids will mean the potential for even more powerful yield protection for DEKALB farmers in 2013."