Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
December 2, 2008
Monsanto Canada today announced that three new Roundup
Ready(R) hybrids have been granted the Yield Ready(R) seal of
approval. DEKALB brand 72-55 RR, Pioneer brand 45H28 and
Proven(R) brand 9553 offer western Canadian growers some of the
very best genetics available on the market. They are the
standard of excellence for elite Roundup Ready canola hybrids.
Each year Monsanto tests Roundup Ready hybrids in farmer-run
field scale trials. These trials are designed to evaluate new
hybrids entering the marketplace and determine if they perform
at a high enough level to earn the Yield Ready designation. For
a hybrid to earn the Yield Ready designation the hybrid must
first be entered into Monsanto Yield Ready hybrid trials. It
must then perform above the level of the checks set by Monsanto
in the Yield Ready hybrid trials (equal to or greater than the
mean average of current Yield Ready hybrids in the 2008 Yield
Ready trial sites).
"Monsanto's field-scale trials provide a reliable source of data
for farmers, demonstrating hybrid performance in real life
conditions," explains Todd Younghans, trait business manager for
Monsanto Canada. "They are seeded and harvested by producers and
sprayed and monitored by the Monsanto Technology Development
group. This allows us to collect reliable and accurate data
across all season zones and give growers solid information on
which to make their purchasing decisions."
The majority of canola data available for farmers come from
small-plot trials but some question whether small-plot trial
results give farmers an accurate picture of how canola hybrids
will perform on their farm, with their equipment.
Atlin and Boyd (2000) studied the relationship between
small-plot and field-scale trial results and found that
small-plot trials do not reliably predict field-scale results
(r2 equals 0.25).(i) The true value of large plots is that they
utilize farmer equipment and agronomics. Farmers utilize the
correct chemistry to unlock the true potential of the herbicide
system and they are able to test under a much wider range of
conditions than typical small-plot trial programs. Examples of
small-plot trials are Prairie Canola Variety Trials (PCVT) and
Co-op trials.
"We introduced the Yield Ready designation as a way for our
growers to identify elite high-yielding Roundup Ready canola
hybrid options," explains Younghans. "Grower perceptions at the
time we launched Yield Ready were that Roundup Ready hybrids had
a significant yield disadvantage to Liberty Link(R) hybrids. We
knew our top yielding hybrids at the time were within one to two
per cent of the top Liberty Link hybrids according to grower
side-by-side comparisons. At the same time, we also knew that
PCVT trials are not the best at predicting actual yield
performance in a grower's field."
Younghans points out that small plot trials such as PCVT and
Co-op use conventional herbicides and do not allow for true
system comparisons. Small plot design also creates artificial
competitive effects that can distort results. "We decided to
design a testing system which would not only show growers the
advantages of the appropriate weed control, but also showcase
realistic yields under real world growing conditions."
Over the past two years these Yield Ready hybrids have performed
at or above the levels of the Liberty Link checks (5020 and
5440) in field scale trials. Based on 56 field scale trials from
2007 and 2008, these Yield Ready hybrids show a yield advantage
of 1.2%(ii) over the Liberty Link checks.
"We're excited about the new additions to the Yield Ready line
up for 2009," said Younghans. "The Yield Ready testing criteria
require that new products must perform at or above the mean
average of the current Yield Ready approved products. The
performance hurdle that has been put in place continues to move
upwards and this ensures any new Yield Ready approved products
are truly the best in the industry. Growers can make better
informed decisions and ultimately increase their yield and
profit potential."
All the trial results are publicly available at
www.yieldready.ca.
Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Monsanto Canada Inc. is
part of the larger global Monsanto family. Monsanto Company is
an agricultural company and a leading global provider of
technology-based solutions and agricultural products that
improve farm productivity and food quality. Monsanto remains
focused on enabling both small-holder and large-scale farmers to
produce more from their land while conserving more of our
world's natural resources such as water and energy. Learn more
about our business and our commitments at
www.monsanto.ca.
(i) Atlin, G.N. and N.S. Boyd,. 2000. Improved methods for
designing and analyzing farm-scale trials. Final report for CARP
(Canola Agronomic Research program/project # 2000-14. Canola
Council of Canada.
(ii) Based on 52 Yield Ready trials in 2007 and 2008. 5020 was
included in both years (n equals 52), and 5440 in 2008 only (n
equals 35). 71-45 RR, 45H26, V1035 and 46P50 were included in
both years (n equals 52), and 72-55 RR (n equals 36), 45H28 (n
equals 36), and 9553 (n equals 18) in 2008 only.
(iii) Roundup, Roundup Ready, and Yield Ready are registered
trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC, Monsanto Canada Inc.
licensee. DEKALB and the DEKALB design is a registered trademark
of DEKALB Genetics Corporation, Monsanto Canada Inc. licensee.;
Pioneer is a registered trademark of Pioneer Hi-Bred
International Inc. Proven is a registered trademark of Viterra
Inc. Liberty Link is a registered trademark of Bayer. |
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