Grain demand

From WikiCover

On June 5, 2007, DuPont Vice President for Crop Genetics Research & Development William S. Niebur said the company's technologies are helping -- now and well into the future -- meet the strong global demand for grain that is driven by a growing global population and increased biofuels use.

"World population growth plus gross domestic product growth means increased demand for dietary protein," Niebur said at the Merrill Lynch Agricultural Chemical Conference. "This global mega trend is a powerful incentive for farmers around the world to rapidly adopt technologies that will increase their productivity. We are helping increase productivity today through advanced plant breeding and biotechnology, but this is only just the beginning."

In the past year, DuPont seed business Pioneer Hi-Bred has increased its seed corn yield advantage by fifty percent and has significantly increased the number of products with yield enhancing biotech traits. At the same time, Pioneer has more people working with farmers to increase yield by matching the best seed products to their specific fields and management practices.

"Farmers are looking for every opportunity to increase productivity in a profitable and sustainable manner," Niebur said. "They recognize that biotech traits on the market today, such as the Herculex XTRA trait, control pests better than other options and allow them to produce increased quantities of better quality grain per acre."

For example, unlike the other leading biotech insect protection available for corn, the Herculex XTRA trait controls the Western bean cutworm, which has become an increasingly troublesome pest in the heart of the U.S. Corn Belt in recent years. Heavy infestations of Western Bean Cutworm can cut yields by as much as 30 to 40 percent.

There are a number of new advancements in the crop genetics pipeline from DuPont that will enable farmers to meet the global demand for grain, which is expected to remain strong. Niebur highlighted four new traits that will be commercial within the next five years:

• Optimum GAT herbicide resistance trait will give farmers new weed control options and help boost yields in soybeans. The trait also will be available in corn and a number of other crops in the near future.
• Increased soybean yield through molecular marker technology and biotechnology advances.
• Disease resistance for corn that will protect the corn plant from stalk rot.
• Soybean oil that will reduce trans fats, creating an oil that is more stable under frying applications. This oil also can be used as a bio- based feedstock in industrial applications.

DuPont has integrated a number of new technologies into its crop genetics research and development effort to reduce the time it takes to bring new ideas to its customers.