INDIANAPOLIS and DES MOINES – Oct. 18, 2006 – Dow AgroSciences LLC and DuPont subsidiary Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., announced that they will make their new and increasingly popular family of insect resistant biotech traits more readily available to growers.

The co-developers of the Herculex family of insect resistance for corn have agreed to eliminate a provision that would have delayed when Dow AgroSciences could license Herculex RW Rootworm Protection and Herculex XTRA Insect Protection to other seed companies. The companies agreed to allow the making of molecular stacks with the Herculex traits, as well as breeding stacks with their own or other traits. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

“Herculex traits are fast becoming the in-plant insect protection of choice for corn farmers,” says Tom Wiltrout, Dow AgroSciences’ global business leader – corn. “Regional seed companies will now be able to evaluate and introduce these traits into their lineup in the 2007 season.”

Herculex XTRA combines the above-ground protection of Herculex I with the below-ground protection of Herculex RW. In addition, all Herculex products come with the LibertyLink trait for tolerance to Libertyherbicide.

The Herculex family of traits offers broad and effective control. Herculex I provides in-plant protection against black cutworm and western bean cutworm – two significant corn pests – in addition to the European corn borer.

Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer formed the research collaboration in 1995 to develop insect resistant traits for themselves and for out-licensing. Herculex I was launched in 2003. Herculex RW and Herculex XTRA were launched in 2006.

While the two companies jointly developed the traits, they are marketing them separately. Dow AgroSciences is responsible for all out-licensing.