The consistent success of Pioneer®brand seed products and Corteva Agriscience’s commitment to innovation shine brightly through the 93 new Pioneer brand corn and soybean products being introduced to the U.S. market in 2021. These products have proven potential after completing multiple years of testing, including pre-commercial IMPACT™ (Intensively Managed Product Advancement Characterization and Testing) trials.
“The importance of excellent agronomic traits can never be overstated. That is increasingly apparent in years like this, where weather extremes are commonplace,” said Judd O’Connor, President, U.S. Commercial Business, Corteva Agriscience. “Pioneer brand seeds are thoroughly tested by our team of experts to ensure farmers can have great confidence that their products will perform in a variety of conditions.”
This new class of products is built to deliver consistency and top-end yield. The strenuous testing Corteva puts new hybrids and varieties through aims to provide farmers with unmatched yield potential, excellent agronomic traits and top-notch disease and insect resistance in every Pioneer product.
Arming the Corn Revolution
With 43 new corn products from 26 new genetic platforms, the 2021 class of Pioneer brand hybrids are ready to join the ranks of the high-performing products in Pioneer’s product portfolio. Expanding on the success of earlier classes, the 2021 class features many top-performing options, with maturities ranging from 75 to 117 CRM.
Spanning the past three years, the 2020 class, dubbed the “Corn Revolution,” has provided a noticeable benefit to farmers, averaging an 8.8 bu/A average yield advantage over competitors in on-farm and IMPACT™ trials.1The 2021 class will build upon that success with a wide selection of products to meet the needs of farmers, including such key products as:
- 12 new Pioneer brand Qrome®products, which deliver an optimized balance of yield, agronomics and corn rootworm protection.
- 4 new Pioneer brand Optimum®AQUAmax®products, with key native traits that improve root systems and silk emergence while excelling in both limited and optimal water environments.
- 3 new Pioneer brand Optimum®Leptra®insect protection hybrids that provide superior protection against above-ground pests, protect grain quality and help maximize yield.
- 3 yellow food-grade and 2 white food-grade products, one waxy product and 5 new conventional products, expanding its leading portfolio of end-use products and demonstrating its commitment to innovation and choices in specialty corn markets.
“Pioneer brand Qrome products continue to play a critical part in the Corn Revolution and are making significant gains in the marketplace,” said Geoff Graham, Vice President of Plant Breeding, Corteva Agriscience. “By adding these new Qrome products, we are building upon the success we saw this year -- a 7.7 bu/A yield advantage over competitive SmartStax®technology.2The entire class demonstrates our commitment to the success of every farmer in every location, so they can select the hybrids that best fit their operations.”
The Power of Pioneer®brand in Every New Soybean Advancement
Fifty new soybean products with unmatched genetic potential and agronomic traits are part of the 2021 Pioneer class of products.
This new 2021 class of soybean products expands upon the success of the 2020 class, which averaged 2.1 bu/A advantage over two years vs. the competition.3Leading the charge for the new class include several Pioneer®brand Enlist E3®soybean and Pioneer brand A-Series soybean varieties. This robust class covers relative maturities from 00.9 to 5.4, including:
- 24 new Enlist E3 soybean varieties, which have shown strong yield performance versus competitive varieties with the Enlist E3 soybean trait.
- 26 new Pioneer brand A-Series soybean varieties, the highest-yielding varieties ever introduced by Pioneer.
- 5 new Pioneer brand Plenish®high oleic soybeans, a healthier soybean oil that has become the industry standard among processors and end users.
- 14 Pioneer brand soybeans with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®technology.
- 5 Pioneer brand soybeans with Roundup Ready 2 Xtend®technology with LibertyLink®gene stack, the first products with this stack in the Pioneer portfolio.
- 2 new conventional soybean varieties, which provide more choices to farmers in specialty soybean markets.
“This new class of soybean varieties really sets us apart from the competition and builds on one of the most robust lineups available to farmers,” said Jeff Thompson, Global Soybean Research Lead, Corteva Agriscience. “Our commitment to agronomic advancements with our soybean traits is second-to-none and is on full display with this class. By offering more varieties with high yield potential, which are bred with defensive and agronomic traits, we are taking our game to the next level and showing farmers that we mean business when it comes to protecting their yield.”
Forty-eight new soybean varieties have native resistance to soybean cyst nematode (SCN). Already a leader in developing varieties with the Peking source of SCN resistance -- an effective alternative to the PI 88788 source of SCN resistance -- Pioneer advanced five new varieties with the Peking trait, from RM 1.3 to 3.6.
Thirty-four new varieties have genes to protect against Phytophthora -- the most common soybean disease. Pioneer is expanding that lineup by introducing stacked 1K/3A varieties, which contain multiple Phytophthora resistant genes and will provide farmers with even greater protection from this disease than currently available.
The Pioneer soybean lineup also advanced 10 varieties that have tolerance to sulfonylurea herbicides, which work on a broad range of grasses and broadleaf weeds.