Seed Company Players Developing Drought Resistant Maize
January 28, 2011| |
The increasing demand for corn in the U.S. brought by the biofuel and livestock industry's demand necessitates alternative strategies in corn production. Kraig Roozeboom of Kansas State University Research and Extension provided alternatives to address these market forces, such as: to get more land for corn production including marginal lands with limited precipitation, and to reduce risk of corn crop losses while also increasing average yields in water-limited production areas.
To address this water problem, top seed companies have been developing corn with drought resistance. Dupont and Syngenta have two new drought tolerant corn varieties which will be in limited release this spring. Dupont and its agribusiness arm Pioneer Hi-Bred will be selling five drought tolerant hybrid platforms in 2011. Monsanto and BASF have been collaborating for their first drought resistant biotech corn.
Roozeboom commented though that seed companies should also look at the interplay of water availability and heat stress with soil type, pests, nutrient levels, and each farmer's management practices.
For more details, see http://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/story/Corn_Hybrid012511.aspx.
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