Achievements
in Plant
Biotechnology
2000

Evaluation
Canola

Roundup Ready canola, which features in-plant tolerance of Roundup Ultra herbicide, provides growers with control of 145 labeled annual and perennial weeds. Until its introduction, canola growers had few herbicide options, which resulted in lower yields and profit. With Monsanto technology, canola growers have the weed management tool they need to improve canola economics - a feature that enables canola to play an expanded role in crop rotation practices that help break pest and disease cycles in cereal-growing areas.

Roundup Ready canola is the only Monsanto biotech crop that was commercially available outside the U.S. before it was offered to American growers. The product was introduced in 1996 to Canadian growers, and by 2000 the number of acres devoted to Roundup Ready canola in Canada had grown to over four million. Launched in the U.S. in 1999, Roundup Ready canola was grown on over 600,000 acres last year.

Because canola is grown primarily in cooler climates, an early frost can significantly reduce yields. Roundup Ready canola provides growers with the option of planting earlier in the spring for an earlier harvest because there is no time spent on cultural weed control and no waiting for pre-emergent soil herbicides to take effect before seeding.

Benefits
In 2000, over 90 percent of surveyed Canadian Roundup Ready canola growers cited crop safety, ease of use and good annual weed control as the reasons they planted Monsanto's product instead of its competitors'.

The economic benefits of herbicide tolerant canola for growers and the environmental benefits for consumers was quantified in a third party study conducted in 2000 for the Canola Council of Canada. By surveying 650 growers and studying their yield and herbicide cost records from 1997 to 2000, the study found that herbicide tolerant canola reduced grower herbicide costs by 40 percent and that 6,000 tons less herbicide was used by biotech canola growers in 2000 than in 1997.

Roundup Ready canola also enabled growers to use conservation tillage (con-till) techniques more easily. With con-till, there is little or no tilling of the soil before planting - a system that saves energy and conserves soil moisture while it reduces erosion. In Canada in 2000, con-till was used on 50 percent of transgenic canola acres as compared to only 35 percent of acres planted in conventional canola. According to the Canola Council study, use of con-till with transgenic canola conserved 14.18 million gallons of fuel, with a cost savings to growers of US$13.1 million.

In Canada in 2000, con-till was used on 50 percent of transgenic canola acres as compared to only 35 percent of acres planted in conventional canola.

Canadian growers also received direct profit benefits from transgenic canola. Biotech varieties yielded three bushels per acre more than conventional varieties, which translated into a US$5.80 per acre higher return for transgenic canola growers, or over US$144 million.

In the U.S., acres planted in Roundup Ready canola in 2000 were up significantly over the product's introductory year (1999). Over 90 percent of surveyed growers who planted Monsanto Roundup Ready canola in 2000 and used Roundup Ultra herbicide expressed satisfaction with crop safety, control of grassy and broadleaf weeds and the wider application window offered by the system. Ninety-five percent of surveyed users reported that Roundup Ready canola was a very good to average value when they took herbicide and seed costs into account.

Innovations
Roundup Ready canola currently is being field tested in Australia - the only other country where the Monsanto product will be introduced. Monsanto's biotech canola was tested in 27 government-approved trials in 2000 on about 78 total acres. Yield and economic performance data for the trials was not available as of this printing. Roundup Ready canola is expected to be commercially introduced to Australian growers by 2003.

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