Golden Valley, Minnesota
January 23, 2008
Almost a quarter of all U.S. corn
was planted with a biotech trait for rootworm control in
2007—more than double the previous year. By all accounts, the
newest trait for rootworm control – the Agrisure® RW trait from
Syngenta -- exceeded
grower expectations in a year that brought the second-highest
yields on record.
“Grower feedback on Agrisure RW hybrids has been overwhelmingly
positive,” according to Von Kaster, entomologist with Syngenta
Seeds. “It’s a significant achievement when you consider that
the major corn-producing states in 2007 faced pockets of summer
drought, late-season wind and rain storms, and even some
flooding.”
A surge in corn acres and the anticipation of new technology
encouraged brisk sales of introductory quantities of single and
stacked hybrids with the Agrisure RW trait in 2007. Increased
market supplies are available for 2008 planting.
Jon Reimer of Lexington, Illinois, says he has heavy rootworm
pressure on his farm. Comparing the Agrisure RW trait to a
competing rootworm trait, he found that Agrisure RW hybrids
outyielded the competition by 20 bushels per acre. “It exceeded
my expectations,” says Reimer. “On more than 100 acres of corn,
the hybrids with the Agrisure RW trait averaged 215 bushels per
acre.”
Nearby in Kankakee, Illinois, Jeff O’Connor found Agrisure RW
hybrids helpful in corn-on-corn. “We have been battling rootworm
for a long time,” he says. At harvest, his plot yielded an
average of 204 bu/A.
“The genetics that are coming out with the Agrisure RW trait are
so much better than the ones I have seen in the past,” says
O’Connor. “I will be using a lot more Agrisure RW hybrids just
based on what I saw on area farms and what I’ve seen from
third-party and university field trials.”
In head-to-head genetic comparisons of corn hybrids with and
without the Agrisure RW trait, Syngenta field trials from 2005
through 2007 demonstrate a 28 bu/A yield advantage from Agrisure
RW in heavy rootworm pressure situations and a 56 bu/A yield
advantage from Agrisure RW in very heavy rootworm pressure
situations.
“For years, we farmed a straight corn-soybean rotation and
rootworm just wasn’t a factor in this area,” says Ron Thyen of
Hayti, South Dakota. “Most of us didn’t even have insecticide
boxes on our planters. But in just the last few years, we’ve
started seeing rootworm feeding and yield loss in rotated corn
because of extended diapause.”
After planting 250 acres to corn hybrids with the Agrisure RW
trait, Thyen found that “seed traits providing rootworm
protection have added an extra 15 to 20 bushels per acre in
places.”
In addition to rootworm control, growers are also noticing that
rootworm corn hybrids produce stronger root systems to keep
their corn standing tall.
In northeastern Iowa, Dick Hanson planted 120 of his corn acres
to modern hybrids with the Agrisure RW trait. “Our biggest
challenge this year was from heavy winds,” he says. “They came
through and knocked down corn that had weaker root systems, but
our fields planted with Agrisure RW hybrids stood tall. We
harvested an average of 172 bushels per acre from those fields.”
A seed dealer as well, Hanson says his customers also have
noticed the trait’s superior performance. After a night of rough
winds, Hanson says, “I had one customer call and say, ‘It’s
standing like soldiers out here.’”
Adds Syngenta’s Kaster: “With corn increasingly in demand as a
source for food, feed and fuel, the success of genetic traits
such as the Agrisure RW trait will be key in managing uncertain
growing conditions in the future.”
In addition to innovative new stacks with the Agrisure RW trait,
Syngenta plans to introduce a new biotech trait, anticipated to
be available for the 2010 growing season, that also is designed
to protect corn from yield-reducing cutworms, earworms and
armyworms. Further, the company expects to introduce corn
hybrids with enhanced ability to optimize available water.
Growers who use corn hybrids with Agrisure traits are eligible
for participation in Syngenta’s AgriEdge® Corn Program. See
www.agrisuretraits.com
or www.agriedge.com for
more information.
Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to
sustainable agriculture through innovative research and
technology. The company is a leader in crop protection, and
ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in
2006 were approximately $8.1 billion. Syngenta employs around
21,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the
Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in New York (SYT). Further
information is available at
www.syngenta.com. \
Agrisure® and AgriEdge® are
trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. |
|
