Pioneer’s new Y Series soybeans hit market

DES MOINES, Iowa — DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred launched a new generation of soybean varieties with a 5 percent yield advantage.

The new Y Series soybeans represents the largest volume of commercial products launched in the 82-year history of Pioneer. The seed company intends to make enough seed available for 2009 to plant about 9 million acres of the Y series soybeans in 32 new varieties.

Yield boost. According to Pioneer, the line has demonstrated a 5 percent yield advantage against other varieties in more than 1,800 onfarm comparisons, with some varieties yielding 6 percent to 10 percent better than their competitors.

Paul Schickler, Pioneer president, said the new line has the potential to add about 19 million bushels of soybeans into U.S. production.

New markers

The new line is the result of a proprietary matrix of traits and technologies Pioneer researchers have been developing, including Accelerated Yield Technology (AYT) and marker-assisted selection to boost the yield potential and improve the agronomic performance of these varieties.

Previously, Pioneer developed marker-assisted selection processes to introduce defensive traits against soybean cyst nematode, Phytophthora root rot and brown stem rot. Now, Pioneer announced that it has also identified new markers for Asian soybean rust, soybean aphids and frogeye leaf spot.

The potential is there, Schickler said, to increase soybean yields by 40 percent in the next 10 years.

Pioneer intends to offer Y Series soybeans for the 2009 planting season in maturities ranging from Group 0 to Group VII. These new varieties will be identified with a “Y” in the Pioneer variety number, such as 93Y70.