XtendFlex soybeans gain final regulatory approval

In late September, XtendFlex soybeans were approved by the European Union for food, feed, import and processing, a milestone represents the final key authorization for this new technology. 

With this approval in hand, Bayer expects a full launch of XtendFlex soybeans in the United States and Canada in 2021 and is positioned to supply 20 million U.S. soy acres when the selling season arrives. The soybean variety tolerates over-the-top applications of three herbicides—glyphosate, dicamba and glufosinate (Liberty)—giving growers additional flexibility to manage tough-to-control and resistant weeds.  

“We’ve seen great demand for XtendFlex soybeans from our customers,” said Lisa Streck, Bayer soybean launch lead. “Based on that demand, we’ve developed a supply plan to meet the market demand in 2021, across all maturities, Bayer brands and licensees. We expect the launch of XtendFlex to match the launch scale of Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans, which were planted on 20 million acres in their first year of commercial availability.”

On Oct. 27, EPA approved new registrations for two “over-the-top” dicamba products—XtendiMax with VaporGrip Technology and Engenia Herbicide—and extended the registration for an additional dicamba product, Tavium Plus VaporGrip Technology. These registrations are only for use on dicamba-tolerant cotton and soybeans and will expire in 2025.

MFA’s MorSoy brand will have six varieties with XtendFlex technology available for the 2021 growing season. For more information on these and other seed options from MFA, visit seed.mfa-inc.com.

(This article has been updated since it was originally published in print on Oct. 19).