BASF and Monsanto are taking their dicamba tolerant cropping system collaboration to the next level.
The two companies today announced a new agreement to “facilitate further development work and subsequent commercialization of a dicamba tolerant system, which includes innovative dicamba formulations proprietary to BASF and the dicamba tolerant trait for soybeans, which is proprietary to Monsanto. The system is expected to be introduced in the United States and Canada in the middle of the decade, pending regulatory approvals.”
“The introduction of dicamba tolerant crops combined with improved dicamba formulations will provide farmers the tools they need to combat the yield-robbing weed resistance some are facing in their fields today,” said Markus Heldt, President of BASF’s Crop Protection division. “Since the introduction of Clarity® in 1992, BASF has continually improved its dicamba offerings. Our next generation products will offer yet another step change in volatility reduction while maintaining the highest level of weed control. The system, along with proper stewardship measures, will ultimately deliver peace of mind for growers.”
“We are committed to providing farmers with the weed management tools they need to be successful,” said Robb Fraley, Monsanto’s chief technology officer. “Our work with BASF brings us one step closer to bringing more improved weed control offerings to farmers. We expect the formulations to be an excellent complement to Monsanto’s dicamba tolerant seed technologies when they are brought to market.”
Upon commercialization, the dicamba tolerance trait is expected to be stacked with the high yielding Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybean trait. Monsanto also has corn, cotton and canola dicamba tolerant crops in its research and development pipeline. These next-generation technologies are aimed at offering farmers multiple modes of action and superior application timing flexibility in combating weeds.