After the patent on one of the most popular versions of genetically engineered soybeans expired this year, U.S. universities are creating new generic GMO soybean varieties, many of which are designed to guard against specific, local pests.
Ninety percent of soybean seeds planted in the U.S. are genetically engineered to . Often that鈥檚 glyphosate, the weed-whacking ingredient in Roundup, developed by the behemoth seed company .
The glyphosate-resistant trait transformed U.S. agriculture when the first generation of Roundup was introduced. Twenty years later, the patent for that technology has expired, leaving the door open for universities to run with the technology and layer seeds with more protections.
At the Bay Farm Research Facility just outside of Columbia, Mo., University of Missouri soybean breeder grows test plots of soybean varieties.
鈥淎 research plot could be anything from one plant to hundreds of thousands of plants in eight rows, hundreds of feet long and everything in between,鈥� he said.
Researchers here have 50 acres of fields to test different combinations of traits in soybean plants 鈥� all with the goal of creating a variety that can stand up to disease threats, yield strong numbers and enhance the quality of the beans.
On a recent fall day, he pointed out a row of soybean plants incorporating the glyphosate-tolerant technology used in Roundup Ready One plants.
鈥淭his is plot 123 out of thousands of plots we have out here,鈥� he said.
Monsanto is pushing new generations of seeds, called Roundup Ready Two, touting improved technology for farmers. But the original Roundup Ready trait is still valuable to farmers, Scaboo said..
Scaboo and other researchers are breeding soybean plants that can survive diseases while maintaining high yield numbers.
鈥淭hen we can incorporate the Roundup Ready 0ne technology in just a few years in that same variety through backcrossing,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 because the Roundup Ready One technology is controlled by one gene.鈥�
Imagine the fancy multi-vitamin you buy at the store going generic. Then your local university takes that pill and adds-in an extra vitamin that鈥檚 particularly important for people that live in your region. The University of Missouri soybean seeds aim to guard against nematodes, sudden death syndrome and frogeye leaf spots. Iowa researchers, for instance, might target different soybean diseases specific to their state.
But will farmers take a risk and buy these off-brand seeds with the Roundup Ready technology?
鈥淚t remains to be seen,鈥� said Nancy Parker, who licenses new plant science technologies at the University of Missouri. 鈥淚 think most farmers, the first thing they look for is the product yield. If it happens to have a trait in it they like and it鈥檚 an advantage for them, that鈥檚 great.鈥�
While under patent, Roundup Ready seeds ran between $55 and $70 a bag, according to Randy Baker, in northeast Missouri. But these university-developed seeds are generic versions so they鈥檙e generally cheaper. University of Arkansas鈥� versions are going for less than half the original price.
This is the perfect time for generics, Baker said. With low returns on commodity prices the past two years, farmers are looking to cut input costs. Baker said he sold out of Roundup Ready One last year and had customers calling as early as August asking about prices for 2016.
鈥淚 never saw that before,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut there was a lot of them. In fact we got our pricing earlier than we鈥檝e ever got it before. They鈥檙e very rigorously looking and searching for ways to cut farm expense.鈥�
Baker said he鈥檚 upped his stock by 75 percent in anticipation of next year. With university seeds entering the market at discount rates, he said he expects to see farmers trying the new products.
As older seeds come off patent, farmers do have concerns that the original pesticide technology may not be as affective against weeds that build up resistance 鈥� that are difficult and costly to kill. Researchers like Missouri鈥檚 Scaboo are looking into developing seeds compatible with multiple weed-killers.
鈥淭he days of having a variety that only one mode of action for herbicide use for resistance to herbicide are probably gone in the next five years,鈥� Scaboo said.
As threats from weeds continue to evolve, Scaboo said, farmers tools do, too.