St. Louis, Missouri
May 17, 2004

Collaborative agreement is expected to generate a better understanding of soybean disease, enhance breeding efforts
 
A new agreement between the public and private sector is expected to generate a greater understanding of soybean rust, a devastating disease that impacts soybean yields in many growing areas outside of North America.  The agreement is expected to provide plant breeders with a new ability to select for rust resistance more accurately and more efficiently.

The agreement between Monsanto Company, the University of Illinois and the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the chief scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), will first work to identify the location of rust resistance genes within the soybean genome using genetic markers.

"Recent advances of soybean rust in Argentina and Brazil make this one of the most destructive diseases of soybean and we must prepare for the possibility of rust in the U.S. by developing management options including resistant varieties," says Glen L. Hartman, plant pathologist with the USDA- Agricultural Research Service.

Robb Fraley, Monsanto's chief technology officer and executive vice president, announced the research collaboration during a weekend awards ceremony at the University of Illinois, where he was presented with an alumnus Career Achievement Award.

Monsanto and the University of Illinois scientists plan to publish the information in a scientific journal so plant breeders have access to the important data. Ultimately, the parties also plan to use the information to enhance their respective breeding capabilities with the goal of someday developing soybean lines that are resistant to strains of the yield-robbing disease.

"Monsanto is proud to be a part of this important research initiative and help develop ways to address the problems soybean farmers face in their fields," said Marlin Edwards, Monsanto's Lead of Breeding Technology. "Soybean rust is a real threat to the productivity of soybean growers around the world. We hope that our work with the University of Illinois and the USDA will lead to a better understanding of the disease, and improve our ability to quickly respond to U.S. soybean producers should this devastating disease enter the U.S."

"What we learn from this research will be critical in our search for additional and perhaps more effective genes for rust resistance," said Randall Nelson, USDA-ARS research geneticist and curator of the USDA Soybean Germplasm Collection."

"This is a perfect example of a partnership between the public and private sector to address a threat to Illinois and U.S. agricultural production," said Steven G. Pueppke, Associate Dean for Research and Director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory.

As part of the agreement, Monsanto will be responsible for using genetic markers to map rust resistance in germplasm developed by ARS that has known genes for rust resistance. Scientists often use genetic markers as a tag to identify the specific location of a genetic trait on a chromosome. By tagging the desired trait, plant breeders can breed plants more efficiently and more accurately.

ARS scientists will be determining the rust reactions of the soybean lines in high-level containment facilities located in Frederick, Md. Monsanto also will provide funding to support the rust screening activity.
 
About Soybean Rust

Soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) is a wind-borne fungal disease that attacks a soybean plant's foliage resulting in early leaf drop, thus hampering pod setting and development, as well as reducing yields. The disease was first discovered in Asia in the early 1900's and different strains of the disease are found throughout the world today -- including Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. Many plant pathologists expect that the disease will someday impact North American soybean production.

Currently, growers around the world use fungicides to control the outbreak of the disease in their fields. The amount of damage the disease causes depends on how early infection occurs during the plant's growth cycle. Typically, estimates on how much damage the disease causes vary by country. Some researchers have reported that the disease has resulted in crop loss rates ranging between 10 and 80 percent.
 
Monsanto Company (NYSE: MON) is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality.