Dicamba-Tolerant Crops Under Development

LINCOLN - Mar 23/05 - SNS -- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Monsanto Co. will work together to develop crops tolerant to the broadleaf herbicide dicamba under an exclusive licensing agreement.

This agreement is based on discoveries by UNL plant scientists. Biochemist Don Weeks and colleagues identified a gene that can make dicamba-sensitive crops such as soybeans tolerant to the widely used herbicide. The university has several patents pending on this discovery.

The university, after a competitive process, granted exclusive license to Monsanto to integrate this trait into high-yielding commercial crop lines. Under the agreement, university scientists will provide technical support to move this technology from the lab to field as soon as possible, said Prem Paul, UNL vice chancellor for research.

"This is an example of the benefits of UNL's investment in high-quality research," Paul said. "This agreement with Monsanto, a leader in agricultural biotechnology, should help ensure that this technology becomes widely available to the farmers who can use it to improve food production."

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