Monsanto Company aannounced today (May 1) that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued registration for tioxazafen, which is branded as NemaStrike Technology. According to Monsanto, this means farmers will have access to increased nematode control in 2018, pending state approvals.
NemaStrike Technology is a nematicide that will be offered as part of the Acceleron Seed Applied Solutions. It offers a novel mode of action that stays in the root zone where nematodes attack. NemaStrike Technology will provide broad-spectrum control of plant parasitic nematodes and consistent yield protection performance in corn, soybeans and cotton.
During the past three years in product development field trials, Monsanto reports that NemaStrike Technology provided a yield protection performance advantage over the competitive standard of 7 bushels per acre with a 73 percent positive response rate in corn, 3 bushels per acre with a 68 percent positive response rate in soybeans, and 80 lbs. lint per acre with an 86 percent positive response rate in cotton (results varied based on nematode pressure in each field).
“Nematodes are a real concern, and farmers may be significantly underestimating the damage nematodes are causing to their crops,” says Jared Thomas, Monsanto North America seed applied solutions portfolio manager.
Plant parasitic nematodes are microscopic roundworms in the soil that steal corn, soybean, and cotton yields by feeding on plant roots, facilitating bacterial and fungal infections, and spreading viruses. Nematode damage is often mistaken as other issues in the field, so growers do not always recognize they have a problem.
EPA reports that plant parasitic nematodes cause an estimated 14 percent loss in agriculture production worldwide, with $80-100 billion worth of crop losses every year globally.
“This blockbuster technology will be a game-changing addition to our seed applied solutions portfolio by providing a novel solution to a yield robbing pest,” says Brett Begemann, Monsanto president and chief operating officer. “We work to provide farmers with highly effective and easy-to-use management tools to protect the health and potential of their crops. In 2018, NemaStrike Technology will provide breakthrough yield protection technology to farmers across the United States.”
