DuPont gains approval for modified soybeans
DuPont just received regulatory approval on a soybean variety that is resistant to weed killers, the company's first proprietary genetically modified crop. DuPont's Pioneer Hi-Bred business unit plans to launch demonstration plots next year of soybeans with Optimum GAT, a genetically engineered trait that helps crops resist several types of herbicides. DuPont hopes to release the crop commercially by 2011.
C.S. Prakash
DuPont gains approval for modified soybeans
Delaware Online
July 18, 2008
DuPont Co. has received U.S. regulatory approval for soybeans that resist weed killers, an important step toward launching the company's first proprietary genetically modified crops.
DuPont's Pioneer Hi-Bred business unit plans to launch demonstration plots next year of soybeans with Optimum GAT, a genetically engineered trait that helps crops resist several types of herbicides.
The technology is a crucial part of DuPont's strategy for capturing a greater share of the North American market for corn and soybean seeds, as well as ending hundreds of millions of dollars in royalty payments to its top competitor in agriculture.
Genetically engineered seeds incorporate genes from other organisms to impart a certain trait, like herbicide or insect resistance, to crops.
DuPont licenses a yield-enhancing trait and a herbicide-resistance trait called Roundup Ready from St. Louis-based Monsanto Co. In the next eight years, the company expects to pay about $725 million to Monsanto for Roundup Ready corn alone, according to a financial filing. Neither DuPont nor Monsanto would disclose royalty payments for the other traits.
