Farm Progress

Monsanto will launch 25 Asgrow soybean varieties next year, pending regulatory approval, providing a variety in all seven maturity groups.

John Hart, Associate Editor

March 4, 2015

1 Min Read
<p>Ben Kampelman, Monsanto U.S. dicamba marketing manager, said Monsanto will launch 25 Asgrow soybean varieties next year, giving a variety in all seven maturity groups.</p>

Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans are on target to be released in 2016 and will provide tolerance to dicamba and glyphosate herbicides, according to Ben Kampelman, Monsanto U.S. dicamba marketing manager.

Speaking at the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association’s annual Soybean Forum at the Southern Farm Show in Raleigh Feb. 6, Kampelman said Monsanto will launch 25 Asgrow soybean varieties next year, pending regulatory approval. “It’s unique for us to launch 25 varieties in the first launch. It gives us a variety in all seven maturity groups,” he said.

Kampelman outlined the Roundup Ready Xtend cropping system which is designed to give farmers flexible weed control, especially tough-to-manage and glyphosate-resistant weed, such as Palmer amaranth. Once approved, this will be the industry’s first biotech product in soybeans with tolerance to both glyphosate and dicamba herbicides, he said.

“We feel that dicamba has a lot of positives in its column,” Kampelman said.  “It offers 14 days of residual activity. But probably most importantly, it’s got great activity on almost 300 weeds. A lot of the weeds that dicamba has great activity on are a lot of the same weeds that are problem children in terms of glyphosate resistance, such as Palmer amaranth.”

Kamplelman said dicamba is a good tank mix partner with glyphosate.

Kampelman is optimistic Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans will soon clear all U.S. regulatory hurdles in time for soybean farmers to plant the variety next years. Getting approval in China is also important because a significant portion of Monsanto’s soybean lines are exported to China.

“Once we get all approvals and go into the international markets, the launch will be over 200 million acres globally,” Kampelman said.

 

 

 

About the Author(s)

John Hart

Associate Editor, Southeast Farm Press

John Hart is associate editor of Southeast Farm Press, responsible for coverage in the Carolinas and Virginia. He is based in Raleigh, N.C.

Prior to joining Southeast Farm Press, John was director of news services for the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington, D.C. He also has experience as an energy journalist. For nine years, John was the owner, editor and publisher of The Rice World, a monthly publication serving the U.S. rice industry.  John also worked in public relations for the USA Rice Council in Houston, Texas and the Cotton Board in Memphis, Tenn. He also has experience as a farm and general assignments reporter for the Monroe, La. News-Star.

John is a native of Lake Charles, La. and is a  graduate of the LSU School of Journalism in Baton Rouge.  At LSU, he served on the staff of The Daily Reveille.

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