Stacked Biotech Traits Drive Monsanto’s Crop Development Program

The combination of biotechnology and breeding could r

Sally Metz

esult in corn yields as high as 300 bushels per acre by the year 2030.  That’s according to Sally Metz, lead of Monsanto’s Corn Portfolio and Operations who spoke at the recent Prairie Grains Conference.

Yield advances in Mosanto’s corn products are largely attributed to their ability to stack traits through biotechnology, says Metz.

For example, according to trials conducted by Monsanto, yields for just herbicide-tolerant corn (Roundup Ready) are 94 bushels/acre. Stacking corn borer protection on top of the herbicide tolerance boosts yields to 113.7 bu/a.  Stack soil-applied root worm insecticide protection and you get 150 bushels/acre.  Add root worm protection to that, and you get 198.1 bushels/acre.  “It really shows the power of stacking traits,” says Metz.

New Products in the Pipeline
YieldGard VT Pro™ is Monsanto’s next-generation YieldGard® Corn Borer. Currently undergoing regulatory review, field data for YieldGard VT Pro demonstrates excellent pest control, yields, and interestingly, reduced aflatoxin concentrations, according to Metz.

She says another exciting development is that Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences have teamed up to create a new brand called “SmartStax.”  “This is the first-ever 8-trait stack being developed in corn,” says Metz. “It will include the above-ground insect protection of YieldGard VT Pro and Herculex I; the below-ground insect protection of YieldGard VT Rootworm/RR2 and Herculex RW; and the weed control system of Roundup Ready 2 technology and Liberty Link.”  She says data is currently being developed for regulatory submissions.

Metz says several other SmartStax products are in the development pipeline as well.

Drought-Tolerant Corn – Developed in collaboration with BASF, Monsanto’s drought-tolerant corn is currently in the early development stages.  Their research shows that the trait is consistently delivering yield improvements under drought conditions for the fourth season in a row.

Nitrogen-Efficient Corn – Also developed in collaboration with BASF, Monsanto’s nitrogen-efficient corn products are in the conceptual phase. Initial work shows roughly a 10% yield increase in multi-location field trials under limiting nitrogen. The next step will be work to improve the trait performance and continued screening.

High Fermentation Corn – Targeted to the ethanol industry, this effort will develop commercial hybrids with higher ethanol yield.

The Renessen’s Extrax Corn Processing System is a centerpiece of this effort.  Monsanto has developed this corn processing system designed to bolt on to a conventional dry mill process.  Their pilot plant is fully operational in Eddyville, Iowa.  The system is designed to deliver four high-value revenue streams:

• Food grade corn oil/or biodiesel
• ECORN, a nutrient rich corn substitute for the swine industry
• Highly fermentable starch for enhanced ethanol production
• EPRO high protein, low oil DDGs

Soybean Product Development
“Monsanto is also implementing new proprietary technology to bring higher yields in soybean for the future,” says Metz.

Roundup RReady2Yield Soybeans are currently in the pre-launch stage. Compared with Roundup Ready soybeans, this new technology is expected to deliver yield increases of up to 7-11%. She says as breeding efforts increase in scale, the full yield potential will be realized.  The new Roundup RReady2Yield soybean will become the base platform upon which other traits will be stacked in the future.  Some of these traits include:

Dicambia-Tolerant Soybeans – Currently in the early development stage, Monsanto’s dicambia tolerant soybeans represent their third generation herbicide tolerant product.

Higher Yield Soybeans – In collaboration with BASF, Monsanto’s higher yield soybeans are in the early development stage.

Vistive Low-Lin Soybeans – At the launch stage, Monsanto’s Vistive Low-Lin soybeans reduce or eliminate transfats with increased oil stability requiring less hydrogenation.

Vistive III Soybeans – Currently in the early development phase, Visitive III soybeans are designed to lower linolenic and saturate content, while boosting oleic content.

Canola Product Development
“Canola is a key crop we are working to improve through breeding and biotechnology,” says Metz. Roundup Ready 2 and higher yielding canola is in the early development phase at Monsanto.  In collaboration with BASF, Roundup Ready 2 canola promises yield improvements and improved glyphosate tolerance versus current products, says Metz.