November 16, 2006

Dupont achieves record breaking soy yield with GM soy variety

A Dupont soy variety has achieved a record breaking 139 bushels per acre, more than triple the average US yield of 43 bushels per acre.

The record, set by a soy farmer Kip Cullers in Purdy, Missouri, was achieved with Pioneer brand soybean variety 94M80 in a Missouri Soybean Association yield contest plot this season.

Dean Oestreich, DuPont vice president and president of DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc said this demonstrates the yield potential that exists with elite soybean varieties.

Combining effective practices with the latest soybean genetics is key to ensuring producers would be able to meet the growing demand for soy as food and fuel, said Oestreich.

Pioneer has been the market share and brand leader in US soy for the past 17 years. In the last five years, higher performing varieties have helped Pioneer widen the lead over competitors.

An experimental plot in Pioneer this year broke the 100-bushel mark in an internal Best Management Practices (BMP) study with 93B36 soybeans

Five of the six varieties in the experiments averaged 88 bushels.

For the 2007 planting season, Pioneer is adding 20 new soybean varieties to its lineup. These high-yielding varieties offer growers protection against pests such as soybean cyst nematode, Phytophthora root rot, sudden death syndrome and brown stem rot.

Pioneer also assesses its soybean varieties for oil content to cater to biodiesel production.