Pioneer introduces new high-yield, high-performing Z-Series soybeans

Building on 50 years of leadership and innovation in soybean research and variety development, Pioneer announces the commercial availability of Pioneer^® brand Z-Series soybeans in the United States and Canada. This new class of soybeans offers farmers a significant yield advantage and better disease resistance.

″Z-Series soybeans represent the next step forward for soybean farmers, with a generational leap in yield potential and agronomic performance over any soybean line-up Pioneer has ever introduced,″ said Liz Knutson, Pioneer U.S. Soybean Marketing Lead. ″It is the sixth soybean series Pioneer has introduced in its 50-years of soybean breeding, with each series signaling trait technology innovations and transitions that set new standards for Pioneer soybean performance.″

Nearly 3 bu/A advantage over Pioneer^® brand A-Series soybeans

While Pioneer^® brand A-Series soybeans are notable throughout the industry for their yields, Pioneer expects Z-Series varieties to set a new benchmark for soybean yield potential. In extensive 2023 IMPACT™ trials, Z-Series soybeans showed an average yield advantage of 2.7 bu/A over A-Series soybeans, equating to an additional $35/acre USD return on investment.¹

″The level of disease resistance and number of traits doesn’t matter if the genetics don’t yield,″ said Don Kyle, Pioneer Soybean Breeding Evaluation Lead. ″But with Z-Series soybeans, it was obvious from the beginning that we had something revolutionary.

″In the breeding world, we’re used to seeing small, incremental changes so a yield advantage like this is significant,″ Kyle continued. ″And the numbers aren’t just based on limited observations; we have years of data that have repeatedly shown Z-Series soybeans to be the highest-yielding varieties in each of the maturity groups – something we’re sure farmers will notice in the field and on the yield monitor.″

Localized performance and disease protection traits

In addition to a significant average yield advantage, this new class of soybeans offers outstanding disease and pest resistance. It features improved scores in sudden death syndrome (SDS), brown stem rot, white mold and iron deficiency chlorosis.

″The level and range of disease resistance serves as a testament to our R&D initiatives at a local level,″ Kyle said. ″Our breeders have access to one of the largest and most diverse soybean germplasm libraries in the world. From there, our extensive localized breeding and testing program allows us to deliver varieties that perform across a wide range of geographies and environments so they can withstand heavy disease pressure while delivering industry-leading yields.″

Z-Series soybeans also will deliver significantly improved protection against soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and Phytophthora. Thirteen new varieties will offer stacked Peking and Phytophthora resistance, the most ever introduced in a single year.

″With the new Z-Series soybeans with Peking and Phytophthora resistance, Pioneer will start to move Peking resistance into new maturity groups, giving farmers more tools to help fight SCN resistance,″ Knutson said. ″This is a critical issue for soybean farmers, and we’ll continue to devote time and research efforts to SDS, SCN and Phytophthora resistance.″

A complete range of herbicide traits

Pioneer is launching more than 50 new Z-Series soybean varieties in the U.S. and 20 varieties in Canada.

• Almost all varieties contain the Enlist E3^® soybean trait for tolerance to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate and glufosinate (Liberty^® herbicide), giving farmers in-season weed-control flexibility while reducing the potential for herbicide-resistant weeds to develop.

• For the Southern U.S. region, four new varieties contain BOLT^® technology and the STS^® gene.

″We expect Z-Series varieties with BOLT technology will be especially valuable for reduced-till and no-till farmers in the Southern U.S.,″ Knutson said. ″The BOLT varieties are the only soybeans that can be planted immediately after burndown applications of LeadOff^® or Basis^® Blend herbicides, giving those farmers a greater degree of planting-time flexibility.″

Full availability for 2025 planting season

Pioneer will offer limited availability of Z-Series soybeans for the 2024 planting season, with greater quantities available for 2025. Z-Series varieties will range from relative maturity 00.3 to relative maturity 6.4 – providing farmers across North America access to varieties that fit their needs.

″If there ever was a class of soybeans that was going to offer something truly, tangibly different, Z-Series soybeans are it,″ Knutson said. ″The performance is not something we’ve seen in just select seasons or through limited observation. We have several years’ worth of data proving the performance advantages of Z-Series soybeans – and that’s why we’re so confident and excited for farmers to see the yield and the agronomic performance for themselves. We believe they’ll decide very quickly that it’s smart to plant Z-Series soybeans.″

¹Data is based on an average of 2023 IMPACT™ trial comparisons made in the U.S. through December 1, 2023. Comparisons are against current A-Series varieties and within a +/- 3 RM.