Corn Modified for Drought Resistance
UPI Science News -- September 18, 2012 -- Monsanto says it has received U.S. regulatory approval for a corn variety that is the first to be genetically modified for drought-resistant traits.The St. Louis-based company says its DroughtGard variety will be able to help farmers cope with droughts like the one that has gripped much of the United States this growing season.
Other seed companies are already selling drought-tolerant corn varieties developed through conventional breeding, but Monsanto's is the first to have been genetically modified to survive drought, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
"Drought is definitely going to be one of the biggest challenges for our growers," said Jeff Schussler, senior research manager for Pioneer, the agribusiness arm of DuPont. "We are trying to create products for farmers to be prepared for that."
Monsanto's DroughtGard comes amid concerns about genetically modified organisms. In November, Californians will go to the polls to vote on Proposition 37, which would require foods to carry labels if they were genetically modified. Monsanto has donated millions of dollars to a group opposing the ballot measure, the Times reported.
"Trying to create drought-tolerant crops is not going to be easy to do," said Kent Bradford, director of the Seed Biotechnology Center at the University of California, Davis. "We certainly need all the tools [available] to do that, and that includes conventional breeding and adding transgenic traits. We don't need to stigmatize these approaches."
Copyright 2012 United Press International, Inc. (UPI). Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.
Copyright notice
This is a news service of NewsEdge Corporation ©2012. This content is for your personal use only, subject to Terms and Conditions. No redistribution allowed.
Editor's Picks from Recent eNews
Save the Date for Co-Located 2013 Soy & Grain Trade Summit and Women in Agribusiness Summit
Northstar Agri Industries Announces Oklahoma Expansion Plan
Current Reports in the Resource Library at Soyatech.com
Soyfoods: The U.S. Market 2012
This annual report provides detailed information on the U.S. market by category, sub-category, brand and distribution channel.
Soyfoods: The U.S. Market 2012
This annual report provides detailed information on the U.S. market by category, sub-category, brand and distribution channel.
Copyright © 2000-2013 Soyatech, LLC. • P.O. Box 1307 • Southwest Harbor, ME 04679 • USA