Corteva Agriscience has announced its intentions to take a bold step into the hybrid wheat market.
After decades of tantalizing potential, many industry players have thrown in the towel on the promise of hybrid winter wheat, but Corteva says its new proprietary hybrid system marks a “crucial step-change” and is expected to deliver a “new floor for future growth in wheat yield and productivity,” according to a company press release.
Corteva says it has developed a breakthrough, first-of-its kind, proprietary, non-GMO hybrid technology that it claims could:
- Increase yield potential by 10 per cent while using the same amount of land and resources, providing significant promise for both farmers and global food security;
- Be more resistant to drought: research trials show Corteva’s hybrid wheat can yield roughly 20 per cent higher than elite varieties in water-stressed environments, which would help farmers better adapt to the impacts of a changing climate; and
- Accelerate the speed to market of new elite germplasm by increasing the scale of parent seed production over competitors’ technology
Unlike other wheat hybridization systems which rely on older technology, Corteva says its “all-new proprietary technology has been shown in trials to work in 100 per cent of wheat germplasm — enabling more rapid genetic gains and delivery of seed at a commercial scale.”
Corteva plans to launch hybrid hard red winter wheat as early as 2027 in North America, adding to its portfolio over time, the release says.
