Boise, Idaho
March 13, 2000

Novartis Seeds boosts its new TripleSweet™ line of sweet corn with the release of Honey Select, a 2001 All America Selection® Award winner, and the second variety in this unique series.

Trialed extensively throughout the U.S. over the past three years, Honey Select has proved itself worthy of this prestigious award. Its large, refined ears mature mid season and deliver 18 to 20 rows of bright yellow, sugary-enhanced kernels packed with flavor– plus, it delivers exceptional eating quality, due to its TripleSweet™ heritage. Medium green husks and good flags add value to this variety’s customer appeal. Honey Select‘s unique characteristics make it an ideal choice for roadside markets and local shipping.

Both Honey Select and Serendipity, an earlier bi-color TripleSweet™ variety, are part of an entirely new endosperm class that combines the exceptional tenderness and flavor of a sugary-enhanced type with extra sweetness and extended shelf life. Twenty-five percent of each TripleSweet™ variety’s kernels have supersweet genetics which enhance its flavor and holding ability. Consequently, TripleSweet™ varieties tend to be harvested over a longer period and deliver more consistent, long-lasting sweetness than sugary-enhanced varieties, even under stress from high temperatures.

Seed of Honey Select will be available from ROGERS® Brand dealers after May 1, 2000.

Novartis Seeds, Inc. – Vegetables is a leading U.S. agriculture and research company. Based in Boise, Idaho, the company develops value-added genetics, and produces and markets vegetable and melon seed under the ROGERS® brand. Additional facilities are located in Nampa and Twin Falls, Idaho; Gilroy and Woodland, California; Naples, Florida; and Othello, Washington.

Novartis is a world leader in healthcare with core businesses in pharmaceuticals, consumer health, generics, eye-care, and animal health. In 1999, the Group (including Agribusiness) achieved sales of USD 21.7 billion and invested more than USD 2.8 billion in R&D. Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis employs about 82,400 people and operates in over 140 countries around the world. The Group recently announced plans to spin off its Crop Protection and Seeds sectors and to merge them with the agrochemicals business of AstraZeneca in the second half of 2000.