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PIONEER Z-SERIES SOYBEANS
While Corteva announced its new Z-Series of soybean varieties last fall, the company offered more details about the beans at Commodity Classic.
It’s Pioneer’s sixth soybean series and represents the company’s largest advancement class. In company field trials in 2023, the Z-Series soybeans showed an average yield advantage of 2.7 bushels per acre (bpa) over its current A-Series. In addition to the increase in yield, the new class features improved scores in sudden death syndrome, brown stem rot, white mold and iron deficiency chlorosis, said Don Kyle.
The Z-Series will include more than 50 soybean varieties in the United States and 20 varieties in Canada, ranging in relative maturity from MG 00.3 to MG 6.4. A total of 13 varieties will offer stacked Peking genetic resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN) with phytophthora resistance, which is welcome news for many regions where the PI 88788 resistance source has begun to lose its effectiveness. SCN represents the largest soybean pest, costing farmers roughly $1.5 billion annually, according to the SCN Coalition.
Liz Knutson, Pioneer U.S. soybean marketing lead, said that while the Z-Series will have limited availability in 2024, the company expects to have close to a half-million acres of the new varieties planted across the country this year.
“We’ve got our production plans for next year, and over 50% of our commercial volume sold in 2025 will be Z-Series soybeans,” she said.
Most of the new Z-Series varieties contain the Enlist E3 trait. For the southern United States, four varieties contain the sulfonylurea tolerance soybean (STS) gene and BOLT technology for greater sulfonylurea tolerance.
BAYER HT4 SOYBEANS & PRECEON SMART CORN
Like Corteva, Bayer also has previously announced its latest advances in soybean and corn seed development and herbicides, but it too provided more details and timelines during the Houston event.
HT4 represents Bayer’s fourth generation of herbicide technology in soybeans, and this latest effort is set to become the industry’s first five-tolerance trait stack. Like current XtendFlex soybeans, the HT4 varieties will be tolerant to glyphosate, glufosinate and dicamba. However, Bayer adds tolerance to 2,4-D and mesotrione, an HPPD (Group 27) herbicide, with HT4.
“While 2,4-D tolerance is not necessarily new to soybean growers, a lot of people are excited about adding the mesotrione trait,” said Frank Rittemann, Bayer launch lead, soybean technology. “Up until this point, soybean growers haven’t been able to utilize that tool, and bringing in some of the unique properties that mesotrione has will really be a game changer for soybean growers.”
Rittemann noted that not all HPPD herbicides are created equal. Some are more effective as contact herbicides, while others are better suited for residual control. Mesotrione brings the best of both worlds, he said.
“It’s a very good contact herbicide and also has great residual properties, primary targeting broadleaf weeds, which is what we’re after with waterhemp and Palmer (amaranth),” he said. “It will have utility for soybean growers serving as a pre-emergent herbicide as well as an in-crop herbicide.”
Rittemann said that currently, Bayer is anticipating the launch of HT4 soybeans in 2027.
Bayer also provided updates about its Preceon Smart Corn System, commonly referred to as “short-stature corn.” Erica Strittmatter, corn trait launch and marketing lead, said that after having Preceon hybrids on about 30,000 acres in 2023, Bayer is increasing to about 35,000 acres with 385 farmers in what she called a “soft introductory launch.”
“This year, we’ve got farmers in Iowa, northern Illinois and northern Indiana,” she said. “We also have some trials in Nebraska, Minnesota and Wisconsin.”
Currently, Preceon hybrids are based on breeding traits, but Strittmatter said that Bayer is working to gain approval for a genetically modified trait that will allow for more consistent plant heights and ear heights and allow seed production volumes to grow faster. That trait could be approved by 2028 pending regulatory approvals.
Commodity Classic is presented annually by the American Soybean Association, National Corn Growers Association, National Association of Wheat Growers, National Sorghum Producers and the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. To learn more, visit www.commodityclassic.com.
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