Monsanto has announced it is working with glufosinate-tolerant traits in its cotton technology programs. The company’s work with glufosinate-tolerant traits paves the way for the development of the industry’s first three-way stack of herbicide-tolerant technologies across its cotton business including Roundup Ready Flex, dicamba-tolerance and glufosinate tolerance.

The glufosinate trait is under license from Bayer CropScience and reflects the company’s multi-partner stacking strategy.

“Our research and development programs are focused on developing technologies, both through in-house discovery and through licensing, that can offer benefits to cotton producers,” said Rich Voth, Monsanto’s market development manager on the project. He made the remarks at the annual Beltwide Cotton Conferences being held this year in Nashville, Tenn.

“By adding glufosinate tolerance to our pipeline, we will be working with traits for three different active ingredients and a series of technologies that can broaden the modes of action available to producers.”

Cotton growers have found herbicide-tolerant varieties work well on their farms. In fact, the USDA estimates that more than 80 percent of the cotton acres planted in 2007 included the Roundup Ready or Roundup Ready Flex traits. A limited number of glufosinate tolerant varieties are marketed under the LibertyLink trade name.

“The established Roundup Ready traits will ultimately be joined by dicamba and glufosinate tolerance,” Voth adds. “Producers can look forward to having several options in the same field, letting them choose the best means of control for the particular weeds and conditions they face. We will be able to offer multiple weed management options in season and the breadth of herbicides will be a key component in mitigating weed resistance.”

Kevin Eblen, Delta and Pine Land business lead, said the combination of Deltapine’s elite genetics with the traits offers cotton producers even greater benefits.

“The Deltapine legacy has been built on market leading genetics and service,” Eblen says. “And our technology and breeding programs have proven records. We look forward to pairing our elite germplasm with these additional technologies in the future to offer our customers even more potential.”

Monsanto has numerous traits in development for the company’s focus crops. The two herbicide tolerance traits — dicamba and glufosinate are in Phase 1 of a five phase process or early development, along with drought tolerance and lygus protection. Bollgard III is in Phase 2 and has the potential to increase in-plant insect protection.

For more information, please visit: http://www.monsanto.com/.