Dow AgroSciences’ Enlist corn hybrids are available for planting in the United States and Canada for the 2018 growing season after China approved the import of the grain containing the trait.
“Enlist is among the largest advanced technology opportunities in Dow’s history and demonstrates how our innovation drives our growth,” Andrew Liveris, chairman and chief executive officer of The Dow Chemical Company said in a news release.
Enlist corn allows farmers to use Enlist Duo herbicide with Colex-D for in-season weed control. Enlist Duo contains 2,4-D choline and glyphosate.
Stratus Ag Research reports that resistant and hard-to-control weeds now infest more than 100 million acres of American farmland alone.
Enlist corn will be widely available in the U.S. and Canada. The release said it will be sold as both SmartStax Enlist and PowerCore Enlist hybrids, creating the leading weed and insect control packages in the industry. The Enlist technology will also be licensed to other seed companies.
Enlist corn hybrids are immediately available from Dow Seed companies such as Mycogen, Brodback, Dairyland, Pfister and Prairie Brand.
“We are very excited to bring the Enlist system to farmers in the U.S. and Canada,” said Tim Hassinger, president and CEO of Dow AgroSciences. “The feedback on the performance during our Stewarded Introduction has been extremely positive, as growers have been very impressed with both the weed control as well as the formulation advancements we have made, reducing the potential for drift and volatility.”
Enlist cotton was launched in 2016 under the PhytoGen brand. Dow said the Enlist soybean trait is still waiting on import approval for China and the European Union. The company also plans to license this product to more companies.
“We appreciate the efforts of the U.S. and China governments under the 100-Day initiative,” Hassinger said. “We look forward to continuing to work with China and their regulatory process for additional trait approvals so we can bring farmers new and much-needed technology.”