Mark Seed Co. of Perry, Iowa, and PATech (Professional Applied Technology) of Geneseo, Illinois, signed a nonexclusive letter of agreement to jointly merchandise Mark Seed Company's new CYST TECH Soybean technology. 

Cyst Tech soybeans is a registered trademark of the Mark Seed Co. at Perry, Iowa. Mark Seed Co. will maintain the Cyst Tech Technology and be responsible for the basic seed stock. 

PATech is a group of thirty-four seed companies that have joined together financially to pay for
research to develop superior proprietary products for their common benefit. Cyst Tech soybeans is PATech's first technology that will be jointly merchandised from this program. PATech represents four million plus bags of soybean sales throughout Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, as well as several other areas in the U.S.A. 

Mark Seed Co. of Perry, Iowa, developed the new Cyst Tech soybean technology over a period of
several years and has applied for a patent on the technology. The patent is pending. Mark Seed Co. has merchandised Cyst Tech soybean technology throughout Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin for a period of two years with exceptional results. In side by side and replicated soybean yield trials Cyst Tech soybeans have yielded from 8.46 to 15.9 bushels per acre better than the second best entry tested. 

The benefits of the new soybean technology are manifested in two ways. First, is the fact that Cyst Tech soybeans produce superior yields compared to the best yielding soybeans tested. Secondly, When soybean Cyst Tech technology is applied, The CYST TECH soybeans reduce the soybean Cyst nematode population in the soil with out causing "genetic drift'' that is common when nematode resistant soybean varieties are planted. "I had high expectations for CYST TECH soybeans, but am pleasantly surprised by their exceptional performance,'' says Mark Terpstra, president of the Mark Seed Co. "In retrospect, it is apparent that many of the acres that we had diagnosed as having an infestation of iron chlorosis were also infected with soybean cyst nematodes.'' PATech is going ahead with plans to plant seed stock in the spring of 2001 for distribution in 200l-2002. 

Additional nonexclusive agreements with other companies are pending and will be announced, as information becomes available. 

Company news release
N3135