NATIONAL
CFIA Receives Submission of Novel GM Soybean
Dow AgroSciences Canada Inc. has made a submission to the Plant Biosafety Office and Animal Feed Division of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada to approve DAS-81419-2, a genetically modified and insect resistant soybean variety, for environmental release, livestock feed and food use and to make a determination that the plant is safe.
New Herbicide Approved in Canada
Dow AgroSciences LLC has announced that Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency has approved Enlist Duo herbicide with Colex-D technology for use in Canada. This approval, which makes Canada the first nation to authorize this state-of-the art herbicide, is a milestone for the company’s Enlist Weed Control System. The system combines innovative traits, herbicides and stewardship to deliver weed control while sustaining beneficial farming practices. With exceptional weed control, especially with hard-to-control and resistant weeds, Enlist Duo features near-zero volatility, minimized potential for drift, lower odour and better handling characteristics through the Colex-D technology package.
New Inoculant Receives Registration
XiteBio Technologies Inc. has announced the registration of XiteBio PeasRhizo for the Canadian market by the CFIA. XiteBio PeasRhizo is a premium, ready-to-use liquid pea and lentil inoculant available as a convenient all-in-one package formulation for on-seed application. Improved crop vigour and yield increases have been consistently reported by the farmers, university scientists and private researchers who have tested XiteBio PeasRhizo across pulse-growing regions in the United States and Canada.
Enlist E3 Soybeans Approved in Canada
Dow AgroSciences LLC and MS Technologies LLC have received approval for Enlist E3 soybeans in Canada. The Enlist E3 soybean has been evaluated and approved for food, feed and environmental release by the CFIA and Health Canada. The companies anticipate launching Enlist E3 soybeans in 2015, upon approvals in key export regions. Enlist E3 soybean cultivation registrations are also being sought in the United States, Brazil and other South American countries. Enlist corn and soybean traits were approved in Canada in October 2012 for food, feed and environmental release, and Enlist Duo herbicide was approved in Canada in May 2013.
Syngenta Launches Seed Treatment Nematicide
Syngenta has launched Clariva, a proprietary seed treatment nematicide based on the Pasteuria technology acquired in 2012. Clariva consists of naturally occurring soil bacteria with a unique, direct mode of action on nematodes. “Soybean growers in particular have long been searching for additional tools to manage the widespread cyst nematode problem. Clariva will take nematode control to a new level,” says John Atkin, Syngenta’s chief operating officer. Clariva will be available in the United States for the 2014 growing season. Further worldwide registrations across major crops are planned.
FMC Acquires Rightes to Novel Product in North America
FMC Corp. has acquired exclusive rights to a patented, broad-spectrum crop protection product from Bayer CropScience. FMC will develop and distribute the novel product for row crops in the United States and Canada. “This agreement to develop and market this promising new product highlights the increasing collaboration between FMC and Bayer and the success both companies have created in bringing new crop protection technologies to growers,” says Mark Douglas, president of FMC Agricultural Solutions. FMC will begin product development and the registration process next year and expects to launch the product within the next two to three years.
INTERNATIONAL
ESA’S Patent Database PINTO is Now Live
The European Seed Association has set up a specific database to facilitate information for plant breeders on the patent status of commercially available plant varieties. The new web-based tool is named PINTO (for Patent INformation and Transparency Online) and establishes links between plant varieties and patents relating to these varieties. This will enable breeders to make more informed choices when selecting specific varieties for new breeding programs. PINTO can also be a valuable tool for farmers, growers, public authorities and other interested parties.
CIGI Signs MOU With Chinese Ag Group
A memorandum of understanding signed by the Canadian International Grains Institute and Yihai Kerry (a subsidiary of Wilmar International) will initiate formal negotiations toward building a long-term business relationship that would see Cigi provide technical services and expertise in Canadian field crops to the company. Yihai Kerry is a leading agribusiness and food company with more than 20 years of operating history in China. The MOU paves the way for Cigi and Yihai Kerry to negotiate the provision of a number of services including the introduction of pulse and durum flour into existing Yihai Kerry products, the identification of new product concepts suitable for the Chinese market, and collaboration on research projects in Canada and China.
