Monsanto realizará teste com sementes resistentes a dicamba

The Brazilian unit of seed and agrochemicals maker Monsanto on Thursday [Jan. 11] said it will run field tests with genetically modified soy seed INTACTA2 XTEND in Brazil in the 2019-20 crop, looking to launch the variety commercially the following year.

INTACTA2 XTEND seeds have been engineered to resist some weed killers, including those containing a chemical called dicamba. The use of dicamba-based products caused controversy in the United States last year with accusations that the product drifted and damaged neighboring crops.

“This new technology will boost weed control, particularly of some weed varieties that are resistant to glyphosate,” the company said.

Brazilian regulators approved late in 2016 a request from Monsanto to sell the dicamba-resistant seeds, but the company had declined to release plans to market the product in the country until now.

Brazil is the second-largest soybean producer after the United States and produced a record crop of 114.1 million tonnes last year. It is the world’s top exporter of the oilseed.

Genetic Literacy Project, 15/01/2018