The Science of Our Business

Animal Breeding The application of selecting beneficial traits that are economically important to meat quality, health, reproduction and production for improvement in each successive generation of livestock. This process involves the application of genetics to livestock production through various tools, such as direct and correlated response to selection, genetic evaluation and prediction, marker assisted breeding, genomics, and artificial insemination.

Biotechnology The application of scientific knowledge to transfer beneficial genetic traits to enhance plants' growth or to provide nutritional or other benefits to farmers, food and feed processors, or to consumers.

Gene/trait identification The conducting of high-throughout screening of genetic databases to identify (1) valuable plant traits that can be used in conventional breeding and (2) valuable genes that can be used to improve plants through biotechnology. Screens are applied to broad categories of interest, identifying multiple leads for investigation.

Genomics The science that identifies crop traits and accelerate plant breeding. It is one of the tools used to "mine" germplasm, finding the best combinations of characteristics that can be bred or introduced into plants for better products. Genomics allows the "mapping" of a plant's genes to understand its structure and the role it plays in the plant's function.

Germplasm The basic genetic material for any plant, used to develop new seed varieties. Within the germplasm are the basic characteristics that make plants what they are.

Molecular breeding An enhanced tool that involves the use of DNA markers for genes in combination with physical measurement of traits to accelerate selection in plant breeding programs. Also called marker-assisted breeding.

Plant Breeding The process of working with a plant species to create desired characteristics for specific purposes in successive generations. This process involves either controlled pollination, genetic engineering, or both, followed by artificial selection of progeny.

Trait An important characteristic of a crop that is determined by a specific gene or set of genes.

Trait combination or stacking The combination or "stacking" of traits allows the farmer to have the value of multiple traits, instead of having to choose between them. Combining traits provides tangible cost and yield advantages to farmers. Within each respective crop, farmers can choose to combine different traits in a single seed, including insect-protection and herbicide tolerance. These product offerings are commonly referred to as "stacked" traits.

The Products of Our Business

Acetanilide The active ingredient in a class of selective herbicides used predominantly in corn. Acetanilides are pre-emergent herbicides.

The Bollgard^® trait The Bollgard trait offers cotton farmers in-the-seed protection against cotton pests like cotton budworm and bollworm. This protection allows farmers to reduce pesticide applications and get higher yield.

The Bollgard II^® trait The first second-generation biotech trait in the industry, Bollgard II cotton offers farmers an expanded spectrum of insect control, enhanced insect resistance management and a reduction in pesticide applications, compared with the original Bollgard trait.

Conservation tillage Crop production methods that de-emphasize use of the plow for weed removal and encompass a range of new farming production practices like reduced tillage, or no tillage. In general, these methods all include reduced use of the plow and increased use of crop mulch and cover on the fields.

Glyphosate The active ingredient in Roundup herbicide. Roundup is a post-emergent herbicide, and is the world's leading nonselective herbicide brand, used primarily in agricultural settings.

Low Linolenic Soybeans These soybeans produce low linolenic oil which reduces the need for hydrogenation, lowering or eliminating trans fats from foods.

Pre-emergent herbicide A herbicide that controls weeds before they emerge from the ground.

Post-emergent herbicide A herbicide that controls weeds after they emerge from the ground.

Processor Preferred^® High Extractable Starch (HES) Hybrids can deliver higher levels of extractable starch, which allows corn wet millers to produce higher starch yields that they can turn into products that include high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, specialty starch products, commodity starches and ethanol.

Processor Preferred^® High Fermentable Corn (HFC) Hybrids can deliver higher levels of fermentable starch, which allows dry mill ethanol plants to obtain higher ethanol yields for greater profit potential.

Processor Preferred^® soybeans These are soybean varieties proven to have a higher oil or higher protein content, and several varieties offer a combination of high oil and high protein. These are properties valued by soybean processors.

Residue Proven soybeans These are soybeans suited for conservation-tillage farming practices. They provide disease and pest resistance as well as strong emergence in conservation-tillage conditions.

The Roundup Ready^® trait Provides farmers the ability to use Roundup agricultural herbicides over the top of their crops, simplifying production and offering the broadest spectrum weed control on the market. The Roundup Ready trait is available in corn, cotton, soybeans, canola and alfalfa.

Transorb^® II technology A patented technology in Roundup WeatherMAX and other Monsanto herbicides that provides faster herbicide absorption. This gives farmers greater flexibility and better weed control.

The YieldGard^® Corn Borer trait Provides farmers with in-the-seed protection against European and southwestern corn borer, reducing the amount of pesticide applications farmers must use to control pest pressure.

The YieldGard^® Rootworm trait Provides farmers with in-the-seed insect protection against western, northern and Mexican corn rootworms. Like the other traits in the YieldGard family, YieldGard Rootworm corn reduces the amount of pesticide applications farmers must use to control pest pressure.

YieldGard^® Plus Provides farmers with the combined insect protection of YieldGard Rootworm and YieldGard Corn Borer.