SoyBeaNS - Monsanto

R&D pipeline / discovering. Delivering. yielding.SM
SOYBEANS
Biotechnology
Monsanto’s biotechnology soybean pipeline is robust with a variety of products designed to provide
significant yield enhancements, improved weed- and insect-control options, as well as products with
the healthier oil profiles consumers are demanding. Future soybean traits in North America are expected
to be stacked with Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, which is being broadly launched this year.
Dicamba-Tolerant Soybeans
Higher-Yielding Soybeans (BASF Collaboration)
The addition of dicamba tolerance to the Genuity™ Roundup
Ready 2 Yield® soybean platform will result in a highly-effective
and high-yielding weed management system. Dicamba is an
economical herbicide that controls a wide spectrum of broadleaf
weed species including tough-to-control and glyphosate-tolerant
weeds. This product has demonstrated excellent agronomic
characteristics and weed control efficacy across multiple seasons
and environments, in part because there are only four known
weed species resistant to dicamba in 40 years of use.
Higher-yielding soybeans are designed to offer farmers the
opportunity for increased productivity. This technology will build
upon the Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield® platform and provide
soybean farmers with another significant yield boost above
the higher-yielding Genuity™ Roundup Ready 2 Yield® soybean
varieties. Currently in Phase 3, this product has demonstrated
consistent yield enhancement during several seasons of testing
in different environments and world areas.
Stearidonic Acid (SDA) Omega-3 Soybeans
(Solae Collaboration)
Dicamba-Tolerant Soybeans
Without gene
With gene
For more information on our R&D pipeline visit www.monsanto.com.
SDA omega-3 soybeans are designed to produce oil with a hearthealthy omega-3 fatty acid content that provides the benefits
of the omega-3 fatty acids traditionally found in
fish. This product is similar to soybean oil in taste
and shelf life. Oil from these soybeans could be
used as an ingredient in a wide range of food
applications such as yogurt, granola
bars and spreads. This
would provide consumers
new options for foods rich
in omega-3 fatty acid — and
a further opportunity for
farmers to help deliver
health benefits
to consumers.
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Did you know?
■■ World soybean production
has increased by more than
500 percent in the last
40 years.
■■ Soybeans are one of the few
plants that provide a complete
protein since they contain
all eight amino acids
essential for human health.
■■ Soybeans have been grown
for three millennia in
Asia and today are cultivated
successfully around the world.
■■ Soybean yields in the
United States for 2009 were
44 bushels per acre.
United States is
the world’s leading soybean
producer and exporter.
■■ The
Insect-Protected Genuity™
Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Soybeans
This is the first-ever in-the-seed insect protection for soybeans and
Monsanto’s first product specifically developed for an international
market. This Phase 4 product is expected to offer an important
technology for Brazilian farmers who face significant yield loss
due to insect damage. Insect-protected soybeans use the same Bt
technology widely adopted in corn and cotton. This soybean product
would provide farmers with effective control of both insect pests as
well as a broad spectrum of weeds, in addition to a boost in yield
potential. A second-generation product currently in development is
expected to offer farmers a wider spectrum of insect-control and
increased durability.
Soybean Nematode Resistance
Soybean cyst nematode has caused more soybean yield loss than
any other pest. Soybean cyst nematode resistance, when combined
with Monsanto’s portfolio of higher-yielding agronomic traits, is
designed to provide farmers with improved control of the soybean
cyst nematode pest while protecting yield potential on the farm.
■■ More than 90
percent of
the soybean crop is crushed
into soybean oil and protein.
■■ Approximately 98
percent
of the soybean meal that is
crushed is further processed
into animal feed with the
balance used to make soy
flour and protein-enriched
fractions.
■■ Processed soybeans are the
largest source of protein
feed and the second largest
source of vegetable oil in
the world.
■■ Of the oil fraction, 95
percent is consumed as
edible oil; the rest is used for
industrial products such as
soaps and biodiesel.
Vistive® Gold Soybeans
Vistive® Gold soybeans combine breeding and biotechnology to
provide soybean oil with mono-unsaturated fat levels similar to
olive oil and the low saturated fat content of canola oil, which
would allow the food industry to cost-effectively eliminate trans
fats and significantly lower saturated fat content in food products.
Vistive® Gold soybeans also significantly improve frying stability
of the oil while maintaining the flavor and economics of soybean
oil. Vistive® Gold would allow farmers to help meet the growing
demand for healthier oils with a domestically produced soybeanbased option.
High-Stearate Soybeans
High-stearate soybeans are designed to allow food companies
to produce shortenings, margarine, spreads and baked goods
without trans fats. Oil from these soybeans enhance the texture
and solid functionality in certain food applications, while enabling
food manufacturers to avoid using partially hydrogenated oils that
contain trans fat or use reduced quantities of high saturated fat
oils such as tropical oils.
Breeding
Monsanto’s research in soybean breeding focuses on developing varieties that improve yield, stability,
resistance to insects and disease, and oil composition. Pests such as aphids and nematodes and diseases
like Asian Soybean Rust, brown stem rot and other fungal diseases can result in considerable yield losses.
Products that can help reduce the damage caused by these pests and diseases would provide a significant
value for soybean farmers by helping protect the plants and thus improve yields.
Asian Soybean Rust-Resistant Soybeans
Aphid-Resistant Soybeans
Asian Soybean Rust is a devastating disease found primarily in
southern growing regions that can cause soybean yield losses
as high as 80 percent. Current management strategies for this
disease are limited to multiple applications of fungicides, which
can be costly. Asian Soybean Rust-resistant soybeans are being
developed through breeding and may help farmers reduce the
number of fungicide applications required to control this disease.
With losses as high as 50 percent in some fields from yieldrobbing aphids, aphid-resistant soybeans would help farmers
protect and boost the yield potential on farm. Marker-assisted
breeding is being used to develop aphid-resistant varieties that
could be used across multiple environments.
These products have not been commercialized. Commercialization will be dependent on many factors, including successful conclusion of the regulatory process. For more information
on our R&D pipeline, visit www.monsanto.com.