Holeby, Denmark
February 28, 2019

BAYER AG and KWS SAAT SE have granted MariboHilleshög a long-term license for the innovative weed control system CONVISO® SMART.

“We are very pleased about the agreement with Bayer and KWS. We are now working to incorporate this technology into our strong genetic material and are eager to present, once ready, CONVISO® SMART varieties to our customers, as we see great potential and benefits stemming from this innovative system,” says Niels Mikkelsen, CEO of MariboHilleshög.

CONVISO® SMART offers an efficient and sustainable way to control weeds in sugarbeet cultivation: classically bred sugarbeet varieties that are tolerant to a modern herbicide, that prevent plants to synthesise certain amino acids. The ALS inhibitors tolerance in sugar beet varieties results from the discovery of an individual containing an ALS gene copy with such a variation. The new technology is an advantage for the farmers, the environment and the sugar industry.

• For farmers
  High efficiency: very broad & reliable control of annual broadleaf and grass weeds
  Fewer applications (1-2 compared to 4 or more with existing herbicides)
  Simplicity and flexibility: less herbicides mixing and a wider application window
• For the environment
  a possible reduction of the total amount of herbicides sprayed per hectare compared to current standards
• For the sugar manufacturers
  a contribution to a competitive sugar beet crop and therefore a stronger beet sugar industry

Website: http://www.dlf.com/

Published: February 28, 2019