Agro Perspectiva

Farmers Pleased with Midseason Performance of Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield ® Soybeans

16.07.2010 09:42 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) — Heading into midseason, many farmers who planted Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybeans in 2010 are optimistic about the encouraging plant performance they see in their fields. «Growers have been really impressed with the emergence, early-season vigor, crop growth rate and overall plant health,» said Aaron Robinson, Monsanto soybean traits technical manager. «They have noticed the more rapid growth and earlier canopy with this technology.» Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans, introduced on about 1.5 million acres in 2009 and expanded to approximately 6 million acres this season, enable the same flexible, dependable weed control as Roundup Ready® soybeans but with higher yield opportunity due to more beans per pod compared with the first generation technology. Mark Hanson, who farms in Roland, Iowa, said his Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans are beginning to flower and look very good, despite a wet spring. «They are big and bushy and really healthy looking,» he said. «The plant health is superior.» Adam York of Jacksonville, Illinois, saw an 8-bushel yield advantage with his 60 acres of Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans last season, and planted the technology on about 1,000 acres in 2010. «They got up a lot quicker and look really good,» he said. «I have been more than pleased with these beans compared to my Roundup Ready soybeans. I’m glad I planted them.» Bruce Norell planted the technology on his St. Peter, Minnesota, farm for the first time this season. «We planted 25 percent of our soybean acres to Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield based on the performance we’ve seen around here and what we feel it could do for our yields,» he said. «We had some early-season stress, including lots of rain, wind, and hail. It’s early yet, still in the bloom stage, but so far the canopy and everything are looking really good.» As the season progresses, many farmers will begin closely monitoring pod development. Many who planted the advanced technology last season were impressed to observe more beans per pod and more seeds per plant compared with their Roundup Ready soybeans. «The number of beans per pod and seeds per plant are two of the major drivers of soybean yield,» said Monsanto’s Aaron Robinson. Also contributing to the positive midseason performance is the fact that Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans were offered this season with Acceleron™ seed treatment products which provided a strong starting advantage by protecting against early season diseases and insects. Robinson added that farmers are also expected to benefit at harvest from the significantly expanded number of Genuity® Roundup Ready 2 Yield varieties that were offered this season — more than 80, compared with 11 last year. And for the 2011 season, there will be more than 200 varieties in multiple brands. «This allows farmers to choose high-yielding varieties that work best in their environment and fit their agronomic management practices,» he explained.