First commercial harvest of Enlist E3™ soybeans underway

[Editor’s Note: This article is a summary of information provided to NGFA by Matt Rekeweg, U.S. industry relations and food chain leader, Corteva Agriscience, Indianapolis, Ind.]

U.S. soybean growers this fall are harvesting and delivering their first commercial planting of Enlist E3^™ soybeans.

Enlist E3 soybeans are part of the Enlist^™ weed control system, which also includes corn and cotton. Enlist E3 soybeans are tolerant to three herbicides: 2,4-D choline in Enlist herbicides (the only 2,4-D herbicides authorized for use with Enlist crops), glyphosate and glufosinate. Enlist E3 soybeans are approved for cultivation in the United States Canada and Brazil, and have received authorization in importing countries including China, the European Union, the Philippines and, most recently, Vietnam.

Farmers can apply Enlist Duo^® and Enlist One^® herbicides in burndown through post-emergence in conjunction with Enlist E3 soybeans to help control tough and glyphosate-resistant weeds.

Importantly, with Enlist E3 soybeans now being delivered to grain elevators, it’s useful to note that some Enlist E3 soybeans may show a seed coat (hull) color variation. Soybeans can vary in color as a result of many factors, including genetics, as well as environmental variables like temperature, soil type, planting date and moisture during the growing season. In Enlist E3 soybeans, if there’s a seed coat color variation, it typically appears as a light brown band connecting ends of the hilum and/or light brown shadows on each side of the hilum. This seed coat color variation is caused by a combination of iron and isoflavone, which are natural compounds found in all soybeans. Application of herbicides, including Enlist herbicides, does not cause this seed coat color variation.  If and when it does appear, it is only found in the seed coat and not the whole bean.

Enlist E3 soybeans have been studied extensively during the research and development process. Enlist E3 soybeans are comparable to soybeans without the trait in nutrition, oil and meal composition, and levels of isoflavone and iron. The color variation does not affect whole plant appearance, seed germination or emergence. Among more than 20 lots of Enlist E3 soybeans that were independently graded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Federal Grain Inspection Service over a two-year period, more than 90 percent received a U.S. No. 1 yellow soybean grade and the rest received U.S. No. 2 yellow soybean grade. While individual lots may vary, ratings were comparable to U.S. commodity soybeans.¹

The grain trade can anticipate seeing even more Enlist E3 soybeans harvested, as growers continue to add this new technology to their toolbox in the fight against resistant weeds.

To learn more about Enlist E3 soybeans, visit enlist.com.

¹ Soybean Farmgate Assessment Data, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Grain Inspection Packers and Stockyard Administration, Federal Grain Inspection Service, 2011 Data https://www.gipsa.usda.gov/fgis/soybeanstudy.aspx (accessed 8/21/18). Recent FGIS data showed 83.5 percent of U.S. soybeans received a U.S. No.1 yellow soybean grade and 11.9 percent received a U.S. No. 2 yellow soybeans grade.