Performance, ease of use and simple math are reasons why corn growers are planting more and more acres of corn with stacked-trait technologies.  That's according to Doug Gloystein, general manager of NC+ Hybrids.

"We are expecting customer demand for triple-trait seed corn to increase by more than five-fold in 2007," Gloystein says.  "The main reason is performance as the value of triple-trait corn has been demonstrated in many side-by-side trials and in growers' own fields.  Simplicity, convenience and safety also play a huge role."

Triple-trait corn technologies include NC+'s YieldGard® Plus with Roundup Ready® Corn 2.  The technologies provide control of corn rootworms, corn borers, other pests, weeds and grasses--all in one product.

According to Gloystein, the ability of the corn to handle periods of drought stress is what growers like best.

"Growers quickly notice that their corn is slower to show moisture stress and continues to grow while other corn is slowed in periods of moisture stress.  The timing of the moisture stress is critical and this is why some growers have seen 40 bushel advantages with the triple-trait corn when it is stressed during pollination.  The other issue is safety.  Everyone hates to mess with toxic insecticides."

As growers make seed selection decisions for the 2007 growing season, Gloystein advises them to compare the costs of their present corn production system to one using triple-trait technologies.

"You'll find that most systems compare closely on a dollar basis, but then add in the value of safety, convenience and the effectiveness of the protection being in the seed, and growers will clearly see the economic value of these new technologies."

YieldGard VT Triple™

Gloystein says NC+ has added four new triple-trait corn products to its line up, bringing the company's total offering of triple-trait products to 20.  Two of the new seed corn choices include YieldGard VT Triple, the next generation of YieldGard stacked traits.  YieldGard VT Triple is developed through advanced Vector-Stack Transformation, or "VecTran™," technology upon which its name is based.  The technology allows for a more precise insertion process for producing products that deliver stacked traits.

"This launch represents the commercialization of our second generation of rootworm- and pest-resistant corn in our most elite genetic backgrounds," Gloystein says.  "The benefit to growers is stacked-trait hybrids that deliver greater consistency in performance, improved insect protection and higher yield potential."

A limited number of YieldGard VT Triple hybrids will be available for the 2007 growing season.

With access to leading genetic and technology traits, NC+ Hybrids, Inc. independently markets the NC+ brand of seed corn, soybeans, grain sorghum, forage sorghum, sudangrass and alfalfa as an operating subsidiary of Channel Bio Corp.