“Our advanced breeding technology investments have super-charged our product development process by enabling us to more efficiently search and screen our global germplasm library,” said Judd O’Connor, DuPont Pioneer North America Region leader. “At the same time, we’ve increased our rigorous local testing process to give growers added confidence in the performance of these new products.”

Corn products advanced to 2018 commercialization were tested in nearly 1,000 corn IMPACT™ (Intensively Managed Product Advancement, Characterization and Testing) plot trials across the U.S. and Canada. This final step in the research process characterizes the products for optimal geographic and climatic fit.

The newest class of exclusive Pioneer® brand corn products includes more high yield potential options for insect control, such as:

• Nine new Pioneer brand Qrome® products with a novel molecular stack of insect control traits to defend against both above- and below-ground pests, including two modes of action to control corn rootworm. For 2018, Qrome products are available in a limited introductory program*.
• Six new Pioneer brand Optimum® AcreMax® XTreme products, which provide growers with two modes of action for above-ground insect control and two modes of action for below-ground control.
• For the first time, Pioneer is offering growers Pioneer brand Optimum® AcreMax® Leptra® corn products with integrated refuge for superior control of above-ground pests. Two new products are particularly suited for Western Bean Cutworm control, and for Corn Earworm in the Southern Corn Belt.

Pioneer continues to lead the industry in drought-tolerant products that have been proven to perform in both drought-stress environments and in ideal growing conditions. Ten new platforms have been advanced with a drought score of eight or better on a nine-point scale. Two of those platforms are suited for the 108 and 113 maturity zones and scored a drought-tolerant rating of nine, earning them a place among the elite Pioneer brand Optimum® AQUAmax® product line.

Matt Smalley, North America Corn Breeding Lead, said Pioneer remains concentrated on increasing the performance of drought-tolerant products.

“If you wait for a drought to plant a drought-tolerant product, it’s already too late. It’s important that products perform in variable conditions,” he said.

Smalley also said this year’s advancement class focused on increasing the depth of the Pioneer lineup.

“While we know we have superstar products in our lineup, much of our focus this year was on strengthening the rest of the team,” Smalley said. “Thanks to the great agronomics and stability of this class, we have the strongest solutions for growers throughout the U.S. and Canada.”

Other highlights of the 2018 hybrid class include:

• The widest range of end-use products; with three new yellow platforms and one new white platform suited to food, three new waxy products and six new non-GMO products.
• A new 94-day hybrid for the Northern Plains 90-95 CRM zone.
• Three new ultra-early silage hybrids for Northern livestock areas.

Learn more about DuPont Pioneer products and services at pioneer.com or contact your local Pioneer sales professional.

*DuPont Pioneer will continue its limited introduction of Pioneer brand Qrome products in the western U.S. Corn Belt for the 2018 growing season within similar geographies as 2017. DuPont Pioneer will also be conducting outreach within our 2018 commercial program area to identify potential, additional end-use grain delivery locations for growers who have planted Qrome products.

About DuPont Pioneer
DuPont Pioneer, a business unit of DowDuPont Agriculture Division, is the world’s leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, providing high-quality seeds to farmers in more than 90 countries. Pioneer provides agronomic support and services to help increase farmer productivity and profitability and strives to develop sustainable agricultural systems for people everywhere. Science with Service Delivering Success®.

About DowDuPont Agriculture Division
DowDuPont Agriculture, a business division of DowDuPont (NYSE: DWDP), combines the strengths of DuPont Pioneer, DuPont Crop Protection and Dow AgroSciences. Together, the Agriculture Division provides growers around the world with the most complete portfolio in the industry, developed through a robust research pipeline across germplasm, biotech traits and crop protection. DowDuPont Agriculture is committed to delivering innovation, helping growers increase productivity and ensuring food security for a growing global population. DowDuPont intends to separate the Agriculture division into an independent, publicly traded company. More information can be found at www.dow-dupont.com.