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Canadian soybean growers have been asking for better technology to improve soybean yields and Monsanto has responded. New Roundup Ready 2 Yield™ soybeans, the product of leading-edge gene-mapping and targeted plant-breeding techniques, deliver better stands, hardier plants and improved yields, all of which add up to a better bottom line.

"Canadian growers are excited about the positive economic opportunities that have developed around soybeans, and they're definitely eager to learn about higher yield opportunities," says Mike Nailor, trait marketing manager for Monsanto Canada. "This next generation of Roundup Ready® soybean technology will deliver the flexibility and convenience of the Roundup Ready system and provide higher soybean yield potential in Canada in 2009."

More than 400 farmers across North America - including many in Ontario - have planted and harvested production seed this season to support the anticipated strong demand for Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans when they become commercially available. A limited commercial launch is planned for the 2009 growing season, with a full-scale Roundup Ready 2 Yield product launch scheduled for 2010.

Delivering exceptional yield performance

Alejandro Hernandez, lead soybean breeder for Monsanto in Eastern Canada, says Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans have been bred and genetically designed to deliver exceptional yield performance for growers.

"With increasing global demand for food, feed and energy, maximizing yield potential has never been more important. So the introduction of Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans for 2009 is particularly timely," says Hernandez. "This leading-edge soybean technology is well-suited for the Canadian market, and offers growers the opportunity to increase yields by 7 per cent to 11 per cent."

Nailor notes that Roundup Ready 2 Yield will deliver top-end yield potential and provide Canadian growers with the same flexibility, dependability and crop safety they have grown accustomed to with the Roundup Ready soybean system. He cited several reasons why farmers can look to the Roundup Ready 2 Yield system to enable higher yield potential:

• Location, location, location - Roundup Ready 2 Yield was developed through extensive gene mapping that allows Monsanto to identify specific DNA regions in soybeans that have a positive impact on yield. Using advanced insertion and selection technologies, the Roundup Ready 2 Yield gene is situated in one of the DNA regions that provide higher yield potential.
• Proven high-performance - Four years of Monsanto research trials comparing near-isogenic lines have demonstrated a consistent yield advantage of 7 to 11 per cent for Roundup Ready 2 Yield technology compared with Roundup Ready soybeans. The 4-year average yield increase of Roundup Ready 2 Yield over Roundup Ready was 9 per cent.
• Power in the pod - In over 200 observations, including 120 comparisons by Monsanto, Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean plants produced significantly more 3-bean pods per plant compared to Roundup Ready soybeans. This higher number of 3-bean pods contributes to more beans per plant and therefore higher yield performance.

Dr. Mark Lawton, technology development lead for Monsanto in Eastern Canada says the Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean varieties available for sale this year will not disappoint. "Every variety of Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean launched for 2009 planting has been thoroughly tested against a strong group of competitive checks over a number of years to ensure that products with the Roundup Ready 2 Yield trait, regardless of seed brand, live up to their expectations of bringing more value to Canadian farmers."

The new Roundup Ready 2 Yield varieties available for the 2009 growing season will be in the group 2 maturities through leading soybean seed brands.

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.

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