Bayer CropScience plans to launch its LibertyLink® herbicide-tolerance technology for soybeans in the United States in 2009.

The company informed farmers, retailers and the soy-processing industry about the benefits of this technology at the 38th Soybean Seed Research Conference in Chicago, USA. “The launch of our LibertyLink® soybean technology in the United States in 2009 as the first market worldwide will be an important milestone for Bayer CropScience,” said Dr. Rüdiger Scheitza, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer CropScience AG and Head of Global Portfolio Management. Sufficient soybean seed will be available for an area of approximately 400,000 hectares next year. “LibertyLink® is the only non-selective alternative to glyphosate-tolerant systems,” stressed Scheitza. Bayer CropScience’s herbicide tolerant technology together with its active ingredient glufosinate-ammonium, will give U.S. soybean growers an effective tool for weed control and successful weed resistance management.

More efficiency in weed control thanks to LibertyLink® technology

LibertyLink® technology is currently offered by Bayer CropScience in its own cotton and canola seed, and is also marketed by partners in corn. As a result of increasing weed resistance problems, this technology has also become interesting for other major agricultural crops. More than 85 American seed companies have licensed the LibertyLink® technology for soybeans to date and will offer new soybean varieties to farmers in the United States in 2009.

Glufosinate-ammonium to control yield-endangering weeds

At present, glyphosate-resistant weeds have been confirmed in 19 U.S. states, making innovative alternatives urgently necessary. Glufosinate-ammonium, marketed by Bayer CropScience under the brand name Ignite® in the United States, is effective against more than 120 broadleaf weeds and grasses, including tough-to-control weeds that are resistant to glyphosate and ALS inhibitors. In field tests the new soybean varieties have demonstrated yields equal to or better than current commercial varieties. Above all, this technology will offer flexibility in herbicide selection to avoid or manage weed resistance. Said Scheitza: “Soybean farmers will have an additional in-crop weed control option enhancing the sustainability of U.S. soybean production.”

LibertyLink® soybeans are fully approved for use in food, feed and cultivation in the United States and Canada. Import approvals have been granted in China, the European Union and other key export markets.

Great Lakes has five LibertyLink® soybeans available for 2009 planting.