Corn Trait Pipeline: A Field of Dreams

Dow AgroSciences

The first bags of Dow AgroSciences Refuge Advanced powered by SmartStax were sold and planted in 2011, with a full launch planned for 2012. “We anticipate that the Refuge Advanced products will be a mainstay in our lineup because growers have been asking for a single-bag refuge product,” says Casey Onstot, Dow AgroSciences  traits marketing manager.

Steve Thompson, global seeds and traits research and development manager for Dow AgroSciences, says the company is on track to launch its Enlist Weed Control System in 2013 for corn, pending regulatory approvals. This herbicide-tolerant trait will introduce an additional mode of action for tolerance to a new 2-4,D product, stacked with the glyphosate-tolerant trait. The company has also developed a new 2-4,D product.

The company is also working on the next generation corn borer and rootworm trait.

Additional offerings for N-use efficiency and drought tolerance are being researched, but it’s too early to talk about launch dates. “We have a significant program in these areas, and we’re really focusing on corn traits,” Thompson says.

He says the N-use efficiency traits could hold significant promise for producers. “The value proposition is obvious,” he says. “It’s proving to be a complex trait to unlock, but it will be a big deal.”