Dow AgroSciences submits new family of herbicide tolerance traits

The first product of an exciting new family of herbicide tolerance traits has been submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Dow AgroSciences announced at a press conference at the annual Farm Progress Show. This new family of traits from Dow AgroSciences protects yields and delivers cleaner fields with additional herbicide modes of action, offering superior weed control of glyphosate-resistant and other hard-to-control broadleaf weeds.

Submission of the corn trait for USDA review puts the new Dow AgroSciences herbicide tolerant trait technology on schedule for its planned U.S. introduction in corn in 2012, soybeans in 2013 and cotton in 2015. This superior new weed control technology will be available in elite germplasm and stacked with other leading herbicide and insect-resistance traits, offering a single, powerful technology that growers can use across their entire operations.

"With the increasing incidence of glyphosate-resistant weeds, our new herbicide tolerant trait technology resets the simple glyphosate-tolerant cropping system that growers prefer, offering superior performance at historic glyphosate use rates and allowing growers to continue farming the way they want,” said Tom Wiltrout, Dow AgroSciences manager for global seeds, traits and oils. “Dow AgroSciences new herbicide tolerant trait technology will be widely available from multiple distributors and retailers, offering growers the best available weed control at the greatest value.”

The Dow AgroSciences herbicide tolerance trait package for corn conveys tolerance to broadleaf phenoxy auxin products such as 2,4-D as well as to grass “fop” herbicides. These traits will be stacked with other traits offering tolerance to glyphosate and glufosinate, for a total package providing growers superior weed control with the herbicides that they are familiar with and have grown to trust.

"A key component of our new offering,” Wiltrout added, “will be innovative Dow AgroSciences 2,4-D herbicide technologies to complement the new timing and uses enabled by these traits and supported by a branded stewardship program, including innovative education and training, best practices and enhanced application technologies.”
Dow AgroSciences new herbicide tolerant trait technology also provides greater flexibility in 2,4-D use, allowing planting immediately after application as compared to the delays required under current labels. This technology also offers greater reliability and faster elimination of weed competition.

Dow AgroSciences has a long history of developing advanced agricultural technologies, offering growers a greater choice of crop production products, such as the Herculex family of insect protection traits for corn, our new SmartStax corn hybrids, and the Technology for Traits portfolio of herbicides designed for use with enhanced agronomic traits.