A month before the planned separation of Vylor from Corteva, a new corn roadmap reveals Vylor’s biggest technology bets through 2035.
With its planned Oct. 1 separation approaching, Corteva is providing a clearer picture of how its future seed and genetics business intends to compete.
Seven Technology Platforms Planned Through 2035
On Sept. 1, Corteva released a corn innovation roadmap for Vylor extending through 2035. It includes seven planned technology platforms that Corteva says will ultimately be sold across 90% of Vylor’s corn business. Corteva expects Vylor’s corn portfolio to deliver more than $2 billion in incremental revenue by 2035, including licensing.
The individual products are only part of the story. The roadmap also provides more detail about the role Corteva expects proprietary technology and licensing to play in Vylor’s future. The strategy outlined in the announcement includes proprietary biotech and gene-editing platforms that Corteva says will support Vylor’s “move from licensee to licensor.”
The pipeline also gives the industry a clearer look at where Vylor’s corn technology strategy is headed.
A Trait Designed to Improve Yield Stability
One area is yield itself. Corteva says Vylor will have a trait specifically intended to improve yield and yield stability. In field trials across the Americas, the company reports an average yield increase of three bushels per acre, with gains of up to 10 bushels per acre.
The trait is expected to be incorporated into a technology platform planned for Latin America in 2028, alongside fall armyworm control and herbicide tolerance. In 2029, Corteva plans to bring the trait to North America coupled with next-generation above-ground insect control.
Gene Editing Targets Four Corn Diseases
Another area is gene editing. The roadmap includes a gene-edited, multi-disease-resistant corn technology targeting four diseases: northern corn leaf blight, grey leaf spot, southern rust and anthracnose stalk rot.
New Modes of Action for Insect Control
The roadmap also includes new approaches to insect control. In 2031, Corteva expects Vylor to launch corn rootworm technology incorporating two new non-Bt modes of action, including one it describes as plant-based. Additional approaches to fall armyworm and above-ground insect control, as well as reduced-stature corn, are also included in the pipeline.
A More Concrete Picture of Vylor’s Future
Much of the roadmap stretches well into the next decade, and Corteva notes that product and technology launches remain dependent on field testing and applicable regulatory reviews. But the announcement does provide something useful ahead of the separation: a more concrete picture of what Corteva intends to build through Vylor. Beyond the individual technologies, the roadmap points to an emphasis on proprietary technology, gene editing and a growing licensing business as important parts of the future company’s corn strategy.
With Oct. 1 approaching, that gives the seed sector a little more clarity about what Vylor is intended to become once it stands on its own.
