Monsanto Expands Genuity Vs. LibertyLink Trials To Midwest

Faced with the challenge of glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth pigweed, many Southern farmers have looked to the LibertyLink soybean system as a possible solution, even if that means giving up yield potential.

However, a soybean systems trial program conducted by Monsanto in the Delta this season has demonstrated that farmers who plant Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans – and utilize Monsanto’s Roundup Ready PLUS Weed Management Solutions – can have just as clean, or even cleaner, fields than the LibertyLink soybean/herbicide system and higher yield potential.

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Tony White, Monsanto Soybean Traits Product Development Manager, announced that the Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean system had an average yield advantage of 6 bushels per acre compared with the LibertyLink system in the trial program. Results were based on 20 farmer side-by-side plot locations in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky and the Missouri Bootheel during 2012.

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“This soybean systems comparison proves that farmers don’t have to sacrifice yield to achieve effective weed control,” White said. “By planting high-yielding Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybean varieties and following Roundup Ready PLUS weed management recommendations, farmers can successfully control tough weeds, including pigweed, and maximize their yield opportunity.”

White noted at current soybean prices of about $15 per bushel, that 6-bushel-per-acre yield advantage equals additional revenue of $90 per acre for the Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield system versus the LibertyLink system.

Farmers Impressed With Performance

Participating farmers said they are impressed with the weed control and yield results they experienced in their side-by-side plots.

“I had a very clean crop,” said Gerald Malin Jr., of Campbell, MO, who reported more beans per pod and an average 72 bushel-per-acre yield with his Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans – an average yield advantage of more than 10 bushels per acre over his LibertyLink soybeans. “I didn’t have any trouble with pigweed. I feel like you’ve got to have a residual herbicide program to keep your beans clean.”

Jesse Flye, who farms in Trumann, AR, said his Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans had an average yield of 69 bushels per acre.  That represented an average 7- to 8-bushel yield advantage over LibertyLink soybeans in his side-by-side plots, and up to 9 bushels compared with one of his LibertyLink varieties. “We’ve done a very good job with pigweed control this year, and I think it is possible to control pigweed and have the higher yield,” Flye said. “The high yield really showed up in Genuity Roundup Ready 2 Yield soybeans – no doubt.”

Centralized Weed Management Resource

Roundup Ready PLUS Weed Management Solutions was developed in conjunction with leading academics, agronomists and industry partners. It offers the latest weed management recommendations by crop and by region, emphasizing the use of residual herbicides in combination with Roundup Brand Agricultural Herbicides as the foundation of a weed control program.  Farmers can receive incentives for applying qualifying residual herbicides in soybeans.

“The Roundup Ready PLUS platform is a centralized resource enabling farmers to take a proactive approach for effective, economical control of tough-to-manage and glyphosate-resistant weeds,” said Chris Reat, Roundup Ready PLUS Marketing Manager. “Farmers throughout the Delta and the U.S. are increasingly adopting these recommendations because of the proven benefits in helping to protect their yield and their bottom line.”

For their LibertyLink side-by-side plots, farmers followed the local recommendations for the LibertyLink soybean system, including the use of residual herbicides.

Trial Plots To Expand To Midwest In 2013

White said for 2013, the side-by-side trial program will be expanded to the central Midwest, where many farmers are facing challenges with waterhemp and marestail. Trial plots are planned in eastern Kansas, central Missouri, southern Illinois, southern Indiana and Ohio. 

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