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Syngenta says its 2009 AgriEdge corn and soybean programs will offer growers more rewards while they invest in agronomic solutions that can maximize yield performance.

AgriEdge Programs offer incentives for growers who plant NK Brand soybeans with the Roundup Ready trait and Garst, Golden Harvest or NK Seeds corn hybrids with one or more Agrisure traits, and apply Syngenta Crop Protection products.

“AgriEdge Programs are unique among seed and crop protection company incentive programs because the rewards are based on high-yielding agronomic practices,” said Pat Steiner, agribusiness corn lead for Syngenta.

Early-season weed control is a major focus of the 2009 AgriEdge Corn Program, with an incentive of $8.40 (based on a planting rate of 2.8 acres per unit) per unit available to growers who use Lumax, Lexar, Halex GT, Camix, Bicep II Magnum or Bicep Lite II Magnum residual herbicides on at least 36 units of corn hybrids that contain an Agrisure trait and Cruiser Extreme 250 or Cruiser Extreme 1250 seed treatment.

“Year in and year out, research demonstrates substantial yield advantages from minimizing early-season weed competition with pre-emergence herbicides in corn,” said Steiner. “We’re expecting an even bigger benefit in 2009 given the above-average number of weeds that went to seed in 2008 due to weather-related herbicide delays and rain-fed weed flushes. Moving forward, we expect that pre-emergence herbicides will continue to be valuable as problem weeds become more tolerant to post-applications of glyphosate.”

Additional AgriEdge Corn Program incentives are available for using Touchdown Total, Touchdown HiTech, or Callisto herbicides, Quilt fungicide and/or Force 3G or Force CS insecticides.

“Every single bushel of corn and soybean yield increase is critical, which is why the AgriEdge programs appeal to growers,” said Steve Knodle, agribusiness soybean lead for Syngenta. “Combining elite genetics with a portfolio of crop protection and seed care products that growers are familiar with gives them confidence that they will see results in their investment, while being rewarded to do so.”

A key highlight of the 2009 AgriEdge Soybean Program is a $5 per unit incentive (based on a planting rate of 1.2 units per acre) specifically for growers who plant a minimum of 120 units of NK Brand Soybeans treated with a CruiserMaxx Beans brand insecticide/fungicide seed treatment.

“We’ve seen a significant agronomic benefit when using CruiserMaxx Beans seed treatment to protect against seedling blights and insects that pose a greater threat to soybeans in the cool, wet environment of early-planted soils,” said Knodle.

“Multi-year studies have shown a 5.5 bushel per acre advantage between treated and non-treated soybeans.”

Additional incentives are available for using Prefix pre-emergence herbicide, Touchdown Total or Touchdown HiTech glyphosate herbicides, and/or Quadris fungicide.

“NK Brand Soybeans is the fastest growing soybean brand in the industry over the past three years, and one of the reasons for that is its proven performance in high-yield production systems like the AgriEdge Program, where growers who participated have experienced on average yield results as high as 30 percent higher than the USDA average,” says Knodle.

Growers should consult the 2009 AgriEdge Program Use Guide for complete information on qualification, program details and redemption. Use guides are available from authorized Garst, Golden Harvest and NK Seeds dealers or crop protection retailers and can be downloaded from the Web at www.AgriEdge.com.

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