Monsanto Release Genetic Markets to USB

ST. LOUIS - May 13/02 - SNS -- Monsanto Co. has become the second company this month to share its genetic resources with the rest of the industry in support of the U.S. soybean grower initiative to make soybeans more competitive with other oilseed crops through the Better Bean Initiative

Organized by the United Soybean Board, the initiative is now seeing Monsanto release around 200 "simple sequence repeat" genetic markers. Developed jointly with public funding through the USDA, the markers help plant breeders identify the specific location of a genetic trait on a chromosome.

This is the third commitment of genetic material that Monsanto has made to the checkoff-funded Better Bean Initiative in the past two years.

Last week, a new agreement between Iowa State University and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., saw the rights to healthy soybean oil genetic traits returned to the university so they could be licensed to other research organizations or companies for further development.

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