Rich Keller, Editor, Ag Professional  |   March 18, 2013 resize text

Syngenta has announced progress in development of a new herbicide tolerant trait for soybeans. The MGI herbicide tolerance is under co-development with Bayer CropScience for soybeans and will provide tolerance by soybeans to three active ingredients.

“The MGI refers to the herbicides it provides tolerance against,” said Rex Wichert, head, soybean portfolio, Syngenta. The soybean plants will be resistant to mesotrione, glufosinate and isoxaflutole active ingredients. All three of these actives have been used in corn herbicide programs, mesotrione in Callisto; isoxaflutole in Balance Flexx; and glufosinate in Liberty herbicide for production of LibertyLink corn and soybeans.

The MGI trait is schedule to be commercially available in soybeans during the latter half of this decade.   

Syngenta noted working with Bayer CropScience will produce soybeans tolerant to two manufacturers’ products and the potential for being applied pre-emergence to post-emergence while also providing residual weed control.

“The importance of this is the powerful residual provided to growers for use in soybeans. It will be a step change compared to products that growers can use today,” said Wichert.

Residual control when applied throughout the pre-emerge to post-emerge timing will give growers’ the best chance possible to maximize yield potential and advance soybean yield averages, contends Syngenta.

The company is vowing to do everything possible to steward the new MGI trait by keeping farmers from destroying the vulnerability of weeds to this new trait. Syngenta and Bayer CropScience must maintain the long-term viability of herbicides used in conjunction with the MGI trait, while also continuing to have proven effectiveness of these herbicides for use in corn production, too.

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Comments (2) Leave a comment 

nw ks  |  March, 21, 2013 at 09:11 AM

2 of these products are same mode of action HPPD. Does not help resistance management very much. Liberty is pretty much hit and miss unless you add atrazine and dicamba in mix. Already HPPD resistant Pigweed and roundup resistant pigweed and kochia. We have dicamba resistant kochia in our are that is also roundup resistant. The chemical companies cut back on herbicide research for way to long and now playing catch up.