July 26, 2008

Dupont announces US approval for soy trait

DuPont announced that it has received US regulatory approval of its proprietary herbicide tolerance trait, the Optimum GAT trait in soys -- bringing the company a step closer to further extending the performance advantage of its Pioneer brand soy seed.

The approval is key to DuPont's efforts to increase soy yields by 40 percent over the next 10 years.

James C. Borel, DuPont group vice presiden said the Optimum GAT trait combined with the company's genetics and other complementary technologies, will help soy farmers maximize yields and give them a new level of weed control flexibility.

The first-ever agricultural trait developed through proprietary DuPont gene shuffling technology, the Optimum GAT trait will provide broader spectrum weed control. This includes the ability to incorporate complementary the company's ALS herbicides into a glyphosate programme.

The news comes after subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred recently launched its new high-yielding Y Series soy varieties for 2009.

The entire line has demonstrated a five percent yield advantage against key competitor varieties with some varieties yielding six to ten percent better than competitors, the company said.

These varieties were introduced with exclusive Accelerated Yield Technology (AYT(TM)) and will serve as a strong platform for the Optimum GAT trait.

According to the company, Pioneer brand soys have been the brand leader since 1989 and have gained six points of market share over the last eight years.

Pioneer will grow its soy market share in 2008 and expects that new technologies like the Y Series and the Optimum GAT trait will keep its share growing into the future.

DuPont continues to pursue regulatory approvals in key export markets around the world for both Optimum(R) GAT(R) soys and corn. Pending regulatory approvals, the company is planning to introduce its proprietary Optimum GAT trait in corn in 2010.