Farmers to Gain Innovative Seed Treatment Technology to Control Nematodes

Monsanto Company announced today that the U.S. EPA issued registration for tioxazafen, which is branded as NemaStrike TM Technology. This approval will enable farmers to realize the nematode control benefits of the technology in 2018, pending state approvals.

NemaStrike Technology, a nematicide that will be offered as part of Acceleron® Seed Applied Solutions, will offer a novel mode of action that stays in the root zone where nematodes attack. NemaStrike Technology will provide broad-spectrum control of plant parasitic nematodes and consistent yield protection performance in corn, soybeans, and cotton.

“This blockbuster technology will be a game-changing addition to our seed applied solutions portfolio by providing a novel solution to a yield robbing pest,” said Brett Begemann, Monsanto President and Chief Operating Officer. “We work to provide farmers with highly effective and easy-to-use management tools to protect the health and potential of their crops. In 2018, NemaStrike Technology will provide breakthrough yield protection technology to farmers across the United States.”

Plant parasitic nematodes are microscopic roundworms in the soil that steal corn, soybean, and cotton yields by feeding on plant roots, facilitating bacterial and fungal infections, and spreading viruses. Nematode damage is often mistaken as other issues in the field, so growers do not always recognize they have a problem. However, EPA has stated that plant parasitic nematodes cause an estimated 14 percent loss in agriculture production worldwide, with $80-100 billion worth of crop losses every year globally.*

Over the last three years in Monsanto product development field trials, NemaStrike Technology provided a yield protection performance advantage over the competitive standard of 7 bushels per acre with a 73 percent positive response rate in corn, 3 bushels per acre with a 68 percent positive response rate in soybeans, and 80 lbs. lint per acre with an 86 percent positive response rate in cotton (results varied based on nematode pressure in each field).

“Nematodes are a real concern, and farmers may be significantly underestimating the damage nematodes are causing to their crops,” said Jared Thomas, Monsanto North America seed applied solutions portfolio manager. “Monsanto offers a variety of seed applied solutions today, and we’re always working to develop new options for farmers. We’re focused on helping farmers protect the potential of their crops with tools that can fit into their overall strategy for managing pests.”

Please visit www.NemaStrikeTechnology.com to stay up to date on the technology.

*Source: Review of the Benefits of Proposed Tioxazafen Registration as a Seed Treatment Nematicide in Com, Cotton, and Soybeans; Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention; United States Environmental Protection Agency; Jan. 17, 2017.