Bayer’s plan to roll out a new stacked trait canola variety has hit a speed bump.
Invigor Choice LR250, a hybrid canola variety that contains both Liberty Link and Roundup Ready Genuity traits, was scheduled for a limited release to western Canadian growers this year.
However, the company announced last week that the product launch has been postponed because of seed quality issues.
Derrick Rozdeba, a marketing communications specialist with Bayer, declined to be interviewed but said in an email that the quality of LR250 seed failed to meet the company’s seed quality standards.
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Bayer officials had expected the new variety, which is resistant to Liberty and glyphosate, to be grown on 50,000 to 100,000 acres this year with a wider commercial release expected next year.
“Through our regular seed monitoring measures, we have discovered that the quality of the new hybrid seed is not meeting our high-quality standards,” Rozdeba wrote.
“Therefore, we will not be able to offer the limited supply of InVigor Choice LR250 hybrid canola in 2016.”
Rozdeba declined to offer additional details, but another Bayer official said problems at off-season nurseries were among the factors that prompted the delay.
“I am unable to provide you further details as we are in the very earlier stages of trying to discover what is causing the quality issue,” Rozdeba wrote.
“As you can appreciate, this is complex science in developing the first ever canola hybrid of its kind with both LibertyLink and Genuity Roundup Ready traits technologies.… Historically, we are always reluctant to share proprietary information on production details and practices in a highly competitive marketplace.”
Bayer intends to release LR250 as soon as possible, once quality problems have been addressed.
“Our goal is to provide growers with an InVigor hybrid canola with the flexibility to use Genuity Roundup Ready technology as soon as we solve our quality issue,” the company said.
“It is our intent to correct the quality issue and introduce the new InVigor hybrid as soon as possible.”
LR250 was one of two stacked trait canola varieties that were supported for commercial registration.
brian.cross@producer.com
