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Genetically Engineered Crops
GE Crops Helping With Real-World Problems
Innovators
The agricultural biotechnology company, Monsanto, was founded in 1901 by John F. Queeny. The first product of the company was saccharine and Monsanto is all about producing more, conserving more, and improving lives. Monsanto sells seeds, traits that have been developed through biotechnology, and crop protection chemicals. Some of the seeds that they sell are corn, soybean, cotton, wheat, canola, sorghum, and sugar cane seeds. Their challenge is "Meeting the needs of today while preserving the planet for tomorrow." Which they are trying to solve by doubling crop yields and using one-third fewer resources. I.1 I.2 I.3
Monsanto
DuPont
DuPont was founded by Éleuthère Irénée du Pont in Delaware in 1802. DuPont was mainly producing war materials such as dynamite, black powder, and other explosives. DuPont also sells GMO seeds that have biotech traits in them. These seeds help farmers control their pesky weeds and insects. However, the seeds also provide more nutritional value to the consumer. Dupont scientists made Plenish®, high oleic soybeans, that provide the protection of other biotech crops, but also has a healthier oil than the traditional soybean oil. This oil contains less saturated fat and 0g trans fat, yet it has a high amount of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat contained in soy. I.5 I.6 I.7
Bayer
The pharmaceutical company, Bayer, was founded on August 1, 1863, by businessman Friedrich Bayer and dyer Johann Friedrich Weskott. They founded Bayer in Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany. Bayer develops many products for a variety of fields. Some of these fields consist of crop protection, men and women healthcare, a variety of seeds, and medicines that can help with headaches and symptoms of the common cold. One of the traits that Bayer has created is DroughtGard Hybrids. This is the world's first trait that is drought-tolerant in corn. I.9 I.10
BASF
BASF was founded by Friedrich Engelhorn in Mannheim in 1865. BASF produces a lot of biotechnological products for different categories. Some of these categories are agricultural plastics, biotech traits, crops, and the seeds and their treatment. For example, Credenz® soybeans are designed using smart genetics. This causes them to grow in a wide range of field conditions. These soybeans also have herbicide-tolerant traits that give them more of an advantage. Another example is COPeO® Prime, which is a seed treatment for cotton that has a higher yield potential under nematode pressure. I.12 I.13
The biotechnology company, Syngenta, was founded on November 13, 2000. Also, the leaf in their logo symbolizes agriculture, life, and growth. Syngenta produces crop protection products and seeds. Their main challenge is to solve the problem of feeding the growing population. One of their products is HYVIDO® hybrid barley, which is more resistant to disease and bad weather. This means that there will be more barley for cereals and in general. They have also made genetically modified corn that is drought tolerant, which means that it will take less water to grow and will have a higher yield when there isn't that much water to grow in. I.15 I.16
Syngenta
Dow AgroSciences
Dow AgroSciences was founded in 1989 by Eli Lilly and Company, which then combined with the Dow Chemical Company. Dow Chemical provides thinking and innovations to markets all over the world with products that are beneficial to human progress. Dow AgroSciences is hard at work to increase crop productivity by higher yields, pest management, and better varieties of crops. They distribute a variety of seeds, crop protection, and field solutions. Some of the seeds that they provide are corn, soybean, wheat, and sunflower seeds. I.18 I.19 I.20
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