September 24, 2007

DuPont launches new technology for soy

DuPont has announced it is using new technology to increase yields by as much as 12 percent per acre. The company said its seed business Pioneer Hi-Bred is introducing five varieties with the technology for 2008 planting, pending wide-area product advancement trial results.

This company's three soy yield traits will be the launching pad for commercialisation. It will be commercially known as Accelerated Yield Technology(TM) or AYT (TM).  AYT(TM) uses proprietary molecular breeding techniques to rapidly scan and identify genes that increase yield and then incorporate them into elite soy genetics.

William S. Niebur, vice president DuPont Crop Genetics Research said AYT(TM) allows the company to take a giant step forward on our promise to deliver industry-leading improvements in soy. Dramatic increases have been evident in Pioneer soy variety yields that have never been seen in such a short period of time, he said.

Until now, molecular breeding techniques used by the seed industry have only produced single-gene defensive traits in commercial varieties. There are multiple genes in complex networks that determine the final yield level achieved. AYT(TM) builds upon DuPont industry-leading molecular breeding techniques by allowing researchers to simultaneously select multiple genes to significantly boost yields. AYT(TM) is not transgenic so soy developed from this process are not subject to additional regulatory approvals.

The first AYT(TM) varieties are higher yielding versions of the newest Pioneer elite soy genetics. Pending final trial results this fall, Pioneer hopes to introduce an AYT(TM) version of Pioneer(R) brand 94M80, which set the world record soy yield of 139 bushels per acre in 2006. New unique genetics are also being developed using AYT(TM) and other molecular breeding techniques.

Full implementation of AYT(TM) combined with molecular breeding technologies will enable Pioneer to make a new class of soy that has unprecedented yield potentials, said Niebur. He said these technologies allow us to incorporate a complete package of offensive and defensive characteristics that could make 100-plus bushel soy yields a common occurrence in the very near future.

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is the world's leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics in nearly 70 countries.