Karen McMahon

April 8, 2011

1 Min Read

Growing weed resistance is driving the seed trait business. Syngenta and Bayer CropScience just announced that the two companies will collaborate on the development of an HPPD-herbicide-tolerant trait for soybeans. Adding HPPD-tolerance to the trait mix will help growers combat weed resistance, particularly to glyphosate.

The trait is in the early development and will not be launched in North America until the “second half of this decade,” according to a news release from Syngenta.

Syngenta’s Callisto, a popular HPPD herbicide, stands to benefit from the development of the new trait as will Bayer’s Balance and Laudis herbicides, both HPPD herbicides.

Both companies were quoted in the news release saying that the HPPD trait will be an important tool for soybean growers to combat weed resistance problems in the future.  

About the Author(s)

Karen McMahon

Karen McMahon has been a well-respected and award-winning agricultural journalist for more than three decades. In 2000, she served as president of the American Agricultural Editors' Association (AAEA), a group of more than 400 professional farm writers. She also is active in the Agricultural Media Summit (AMS) and served as chairman in 2001 and chair of the sponsorship committee for several years. She has attained the top Master Writer Award level from AAEA and won various writing awards from the Am. Society of Business Publication Editors and Minnesota Monthly Publications Association.

Karen joined Farm Industry News as senior editor in 1998 and was named editor two years later. Prior to that, she was managing editor for five years of another Penton publication, National Hog Farmer. She grew up on a diversified crop and livestock farm near LeMars, IA, and earned her degree in journalism from South Dakota State University. Since then, Karen has worked in agricultural communications.

Her experience on magazines and organizations includes work on Hog Farm Management, the National Pork Producers Council, and Hogs Today/Farm Journal.

Karen may be reached at 9520851-4680

Subscribe to receive top agriculture news
Be informed daily with these free e-newsletters

You May Also Like