ABRASS goes to the USA to evaluate the Intacta 2 Xtend in the field

The Brazilian Association of Soy Seed Producers (ABRASS) concluded this Friday (4/10) its participation in the Future Mission of Biotechnology in Soy, Corn and Cotton, in the United States. The event is promoted by Bayer, a global innovation company for agribusiness, and aimed to prepare farmers and entrepreneurs for the arrival of Intacta 2 Xtend technology in Brazil, scheduled for 2021.

The in-person immersion involved technical visits to research centers, universities, farms and company units in different cities in the USA, such as Chicago, Saint Louis and Chesterfield, Bayer's headquarters and biotechnology development center. The USA currently has 24 million hectares with Xtend technology dedicated to the production of soybeans and cotton. This number corresponds to 60 million acres, with 50 million for soybeans and 10 for cotton.

The president of ABRASS, Tiago Garcia Taques da Fonseca, states that the immersion was important for the exchange of scientific knowledge and field experience of the product, especially the Xtend platform, which is already available in the USA.

"The technology, when used correctly, brings many gains to the producer. I am very satisfied with the results we have seen. The American farmer already has 60% of the area with Xtend soybeans, harvesting results equivalent to 3 bags per hectare, in addition ease in controlling weeds.", he assesses.

Multinational bet

According to Marcelo Neves, commercial director of Soy and Cotton at Bayer, 31 people participated in the tour, including customers, partners, federations and confederations linked to the sector. He also claims that the Xtend platform is currently the number one tool for US farmers.

 “One thing that caught our attention is that 95% of farmers who use this technology in that country are satisfied or very satisfied.”, he comments. In Brazil, the company intends to launch the Intacta 2 Xtend technology, developed exclusively for Brazil.

By focusing on crop productivity, the Intacta 2 dicamba herbicide in soybeans and two additional proteins to control Helicoverpa and Spodoptera, important pests that attack soybean crops. Another difference of Intacta 2 Xtend is the genetic improvement, which will bring materials adapted to the different regions of Brazil.