USDA Approves Bayer and MS Technologies’ Dual-Herbicide Resistant Soybeans

Posted by |26 August 2013

Bayer CropScience and MS Technologies LLC’s dual herbicide tolerance trait Balance GT (Event FG72) has received cultivation approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The companies, which have been collaborating since 2007, expect to produce the first soybeans in the U.S. market with dual herbicide resistance.

Balance GT confers tolerance to both isoxaflutole (an HPPD inhibitor) and glyphosate herbicides and is a tool for weed control and resistance management. The first launch is planned for the U.S. in the next five years, pending regulatory approvals. Balance GT is owned by MS Technologies and will be commercialized by them.

“The well-known herbicide Balance has been used in corn production successfully for several years. The new Balance GT Soybean Performance System is intended to address the weed management challenges faced by soybean farmers,” said Frank Terhorst, head of the Seeds business unit of Bayer CropScience. “Farmers will benefit from effective cross-spectrum weed control and an excellent weed resistance management tool. We are pleased with the progress we are making on the regulatory front for Balance GT.”

“Resistance to herbicides is a global challenge demanding new solutions. The dual modes of action in Balance GT soybeans are intended to help soybean farmers improve their efficiency and flexibility in weed management,” said Joseph Merschman, president of MS Technologies. “We are well on track to deliver this technology in high-yielding, best-in-class soybean varieties developed by MS Technologies.”