The University of Arkansas’ System Division of Agriculture has released its first soybean variety that features Roundup Ready technology.
“The new variety, called UA 5414RR, offers the weed control advantages of Roundup Ready soybeans without the added cost of technology fees,” says Pengyin Chen, Division soybean breeder. “Growers could also save seed from each harvest for planting the following year.”
Monsanto’s patent on the first generation of Roundup Ready products expires in March 2015 and has shared the breeding material with public breeding programs, including the Arkansas program directed by Chen.
“UA 5414RR fills a niche for growers who want to use the Roundup system of weed control but don’t want to pay the higher cost of the next generation Roundup Ready 2 Yield technology,” Chen says. “It’s not the top-yielding Roundup Ready variety, but that’s offset by lower production costs, including lower initial purchase price, no technology fees and the ability to save seed for planting in following seasons.”
