Trait and Technology2013 Use Manual

Trait and Technology

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S

Tra i t and Technology Foreword 1

Integrated Pest Management 5

L iber t y Herb ic ide 9

L iber t yL ink Soybeans 17

L iber t yL ink Corn 21

GlyTo l • L iber t yL ink • TwinL ink Tra i ts in Cot ton 27

InV igor L iber t yL ink Canola 33

PROVIDING SUSTAINABLE CROP SOLUTIONS FROM SEED TO HARVEST

At Bayer CropScience, we help growers meet the ever-increasing demand for affordable and high-quality food, feed, fiber and energy crops by helping you exceed your yield expectations and grow your business.

We have a passion for discovering new, integrated solutions and pioneering high-performing products to boost agricultural productivity and profitability, while at the same time, providing outstanding properties to safeguard harvests.

Bayer CropScience is accelerating the growth of its seed and trait business, including, for example, the recent acquisition of HBK® Seeds for soybean production and the introduction of GlyTol® LibertyLink® TwinLink™ for caterpillar control in cotton. We continue our strategy of increasing our fast-growing business in plant traits. We are evolving from a traditional supplier of crop protection products into a supplier of integrated solutions for growers that comprise not only products, but technologies and services as well.

We are providing an integrated pest management system by adding a portfolio of biologics products to complement our traditional crop protection products, seed and trait technologies, and seed treatments.

PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY HELPS BOOST PRODUCTIVITY

The application of biotechnology in agriculture has resulted in benefits for both producers and consumers. For example, genetically engineered insect-resistant cotton has allowed for a significant reduction in the use of persistent insecticides in this crop. Similarly, herbicide-tolerant soybeans, cotton, canola and corn have enabled improved weed control and use of herbicides with greater margins of safety. Herbicide-tolerant crops help preserve topsoil from erosion by permitting use of no-till or reduced tillage agriculture systems.1

Bayer CropScience is among the industry leaders in research, investing more than 25 percent of sales toward the development of new seed and trait products. Additionally, our research is augmented by numerous cooperative agreements with other research laboratories.

STEWARDSHIP

At Bayer CropScience, stewardship comprises responsible and ethical management of our products, from invention to commercialization and beyond, throughout the period of product sales and on to discontinuation. Bayer CropScience sets a high standard in customer care and stewardship and takes a responsible approach to product launches including those derived through plant biotechnology. In advance of commercializing a plant biotechnology product, Bayer CropScience is committed to fulfilling applicable regulatory requirements in all countries where the product will be cultivated, and in key importing countries with functioning regulatory

systems. In addition, as members of “Excellence Through Stewardship® (ETS),” we have adopted stewardship programs for product launch consistent with the ETS Guide to Product Launch Stewardship.

Stewardship also applies to you, the grower. Growers planting varieties and hybrids with biotechnology traits agree to implement stewardship requirements, including but not limited to:

• Reading, signing and complying with the Bayer Grower Technology Agreement (BGTA) and reading all license term updates before purchase or use of any seed containing a Bayer CropScience trait.

• Reading and following the directions for use on all product labels.

• Following applicable stewardship guidelines as outlined in this Trait and Technology Use Manual.

• Reading and following the Insect Resistance Management (IRM) Guide prior to planting and complying with the applicable IRM requirements for specific biotechnology traits as mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help minimize the risk of resistance development.

• Observing planting restrictions mandated by the EPA.

• Following weed resistance management guidelines to help minimize the risk of resistance development.

• Using seed containing Bayer CropScience biotechnology solely for planting a single commercial crop.

• Complying with any additional stewardship requirements such as grain or feed use agreements or geographical planting restrictions that Bayer CropScience deems appropriate or necessary to implement for proper stewardship or regulatory compliance.

• Selling crops or material containing biotechnology traits only to entities that confirm authorization for use at export destinations.

• Not moving material containing biotechnology traits across boundaries into nations where import is not permitted.

• Not selling, promoting and/or distributing within a state where the product is not yet registered.

You benefit as a grower when you practice good stewardship. Signing the BGTA provides you access to Bayer CropScience hybrids and varieties and the biotechnology associated with the seeds. Following resistance management guidelines for weeds and insects detailed herein guards against rapid development of resistance, enhances long-term durability of products and ensures compliance with EPA registration requirements. Finally, complying with the requirement to plant biotechnology seed products for only a single commercial crop helps preserve the effectiveness of the technology and supports investment in future innovation.

1 See page 36 for source information.

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THE BAYER GROWER TECHNOLOGY AGREEMENT AND YOU

Bayer CropScience is committed to investing in the discovery and development of new seed and chemical technologies for crop protection. We thank you for your purchase of Bayer cotton, soybean and/or canola products and for signing a BGTA.

Bayer CropScience is now collaborating with AgCelerate™ to provide seed companies, seed retailers and growers an easy and automated process to manage BGTA. AgCelerate is a one-stop seed technology licensing source for the U.S. seed industry. Currently, Bayer, Dow AgroSciences, Westbred, and Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. are enrolled, with more technology providers to join soon, which will save time and hassle, reduce duplicate accounts, and give growers peace of mind knowing that their personal information is secure.

Through a simple online registration and electronic signature process, growers will be able to complete the BGTA of their choosing and receive the latest stewardship information for the products they buy. For supplier partners, AgCelerate will provide a single, easy-to-access web tool with a customized dashboard enabling authorized seed companies and seed retailers the ability to look up the BGTA status for multiple trait providers, as well as invite grower customers to sign a technology agreement. AgCelerate is offered as a free service for seed companies and seed retailers. For more information, visit www.AgCelerate.com.

Your BGTA includes a limited use license for commercialized, authorized FiberMax® or Stoneville® cotton seed with LibertyLink, GlyTol, or TwinLink traits; LibertyLink soybean seed; and InVigor® canola seed. By purchasing and using Bayer technologies and traits under this license agreement, you reaffirm your commitment to the agreement you signed. The seed you purchase is for your use and cannot be given, sold or otherwise transferred to others who have not signed a BGTA and for which you have not informed Bayer CropScience of such transfer. In addition, you cannot transfer Bayer CropScience technologies and traits to anyone outside of the United States.

If Bayer CropScience reasonably believes that a grower has saved and planted seed containing InVigor, GlyTol, LibertyLink or TwinLink technologies, Bayer CropScience may request that the grower produce documentation to confirm purchase of the seed. If appropriate documentation is not provided within 30 days, the grower grants Bayer CropScience the right to inspect fields and take samples to determine if saved seeds have been planted. Bayer CropScience will provide the grower advance notice of any inspections, and such inspections will be performed during regular working hours so the grower may be present if desired.

If you received a BGTA Card but have not signed a BGTA, the card is invalid. For questions regarding your BGTA, please call the Bayer Customer Interaction Center at 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937). To anonymously report noncompliance matters regarding seed piracy, insect resistance management or program claims, please call 1-877-365-4287.

2013 BAYER CROPSCIENCE TRAIT AND TECHNOLOGY USE MANUAL

This manual provides technical information and recommended best management practices for LibertyLink soybeans; HBK LibertyLink soybean seed; LibertyLink corn; FiberMax and Stoneville cotton seed with the LibertyLink, GlyTol or TwinLink traits; and InVigor LibertyLink canola seed. The guide also provides information on

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and the proper use of Liberty® herbicide.

We appreciate your business and look forward to continuing to serve your seed, technology and crop production needs. Learn more at www.BayerCropScience.us or join us on Twitter at @Bayer4CropsUS to help cultivate ideas and answers—propelling farming’s future together.

T R A I T & T E C H N O L O G Y F O R E W A R D

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INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

As defined by the EPA, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. Successful IPM programs rely on current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means while minimizing hazards to people, property and the environment. IPM applies to all pests—diseases, weeds and insects—and should be an important component of every grower’s operation.

IPM IN PRACTICE

Good IPM programs are designed such that all methods of pest suppression are utilized. Overreliance on any one pest suppression tool, such as a biotechnology trait, will lead to problems such as weed or insect resistance.

Growers are advised to follow agronomic best management practices, coupled with

IPM recommendations of appropriate local Extension experts and the Integrated Weed Management (IWM) recommendation require-ments detailed in this manual.

All IPM programs have several characteristics in common. They include some type of pest monitoring, reliable identification of pests (disease, weed or insect), good record keeping, intervention to reduce pest numbers and program performance evaluation. Managing pests ideally starts at the end of every growing season. That is a good time to evaluate crop performance. Where appropriate, good stalk destruction will minimize the opportunities for pests to overwinter. The end of the season is also a good time to assess fields for potential problems, such as surviving weeds or severe

insect or disease pressure. Rotations of crops and rotations of pesticide modes of actions are powerful tools for managing such problems and delaying the onset of resistance.

By the start of the growing season, growers should have most of their IPM program in place. Biotechnology traits perform best when the crop is growing well and environmental stress is low. Good hybrid or variety selection, recommended seeding rates, planting dates and planting depths can all promote plant health and thus optimal trait performance.

Scouting crops for key pests is essential. Growers must be aware of the growth stages of weeds, disease pressure and insect populations to make good decisions. Fields should be monitored on a consistent basis—at least once per week and more frequently when the pest threat is higher, such as when the bollworm egg deposition in cotton is at its peak.

INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT RESPECT THE ROTATION™

Respect the Rotation™ is an initiative to elevate the importance and grower adoption of herbicide diversity. Herbicide mode-of-action (MOA) rotation is essential to improve weed resistance management. • Rotate crops. Crop rotation diversifies weed

management tools.

• Rotate herbicide-tolerant traits. Alternate herbicide-tolerant (HT) traits and/or use HT trait stacks for more efficient herbicide rotation.

• Rotate modes of action. Reduce the selection pressure of a single MOA by using multiple MOAs during both the growing season and from year to year.

In addition, the following IWM techniques are effective in reducing problems with herbicide-tolerant and/or herbicide-resistant weed biotypes. It is best to use multiple practices to manage or delay resistance, as no single strategy is likely to be totally effective.

1. Know Your Weeds, Know Your Fields

Today’s herbicides control a broad spectrum of weed species, which minimizes the importance of weed identification. However, proper identification of weed species will help pinpoint which herbicide program will work best on every acre.

It is equally important to understand the weed pressure and history within each field. Closely monitor problematic areas with difficult-to-control weeds or dense weed populations. Scout for weed escapes and look for the following indicators to identify resistant weeds.

Take every opportunity to stop surviving weeds from producing seed. This will reduce the soil seed bank and reduce selection pressure for development of resistant weeds.

Indications of Potential Weed Resistance

✔ A patch of weeds occurs in the same area year after year and is spreading.

✔ Dead weeds appear next to surviving weeds after the same herbicide application.

✔ Many weed species are managed, but one particular weed species is no longer controlled. For example, following a glyphosate application, actively growing marestail can still be seen in the absence of other weeds.

✔ The field has been sprayed repeatedly with the same herbicide mode of action, particularly if there was no mode-of-action diversity in the weed management system.

“What Bayer is doing with Respect the Rotation really ties into the university message because it talks about utilizing differ-

ent herbicide modes of action and also rotating traits in a way that keep a sustainable focus on our crop production and weed

management. Utilizing one herbicide, one mode of action or one technology only leads us down the path where we lose that

product or that technology for future use.” – Wes Everman, North Carolina State University

I N T E G R A T E D P E S T M A N A G E M E N T

2. Start Clean

Yields can be reduced significantly by early season weed competition. Effective tillage or the use of a burndown herbicide program can control emerged weeds prior to planting. Regardless of the tillage system (conventional, minimal or no-till), a pre-emergence or early postemergence soil-applied residual herbicide should be a part of every weed control program.

3. Stay Clean—Use Overlapping Residual Herbicides

In any weed management program the goal should be to control at least 80 percent of the weed population with residual herbicides. Residual herbicides applied at burndown, planting or tankmixed in the first post application with Liberty herbicide help ensure optimal weed management, particularly if environmental conditions delay timely post applications. Residual herbicides also can reduce early season weed competition and are a key element of good weed resistance management practices.

Under intense weed pressure, use overlapping re-sidual herbicides to minimize weed competition for soil moisture, light and nutrients. Maintain soil residual herbicide activity with overlapping soil residual herbicide applications from burndown through canopy closure. This reduces weed selection pressure and helps avoid weed escapes.

4. Apply Herbicides Correctly

Product efficacy is influenced by a multitude of factors. Ensuring proper application maximizes weed control and minimizes potential for weed escapes.

• Apply to Actively Growing Weeds Herbicides provide peak performance when applied to small, actively growing weeds. These weeds absorb more of the active ingredient, particularly with adequate soil moisture, sunlight and optimal soil nutrients.

• Timing Apply postemergence herbicides soon after crop emergence when weeds are no more than 3 to 4 inches tall. This is typically 10 to 14 days after crop emergence. The use of pre-emergence residual herbicides provides critical control of early season weeds that result in the greatest crop yield reduction. Plus, residual herbicides help ensure optimal weed management, particularly if environmental conditions delay timely post applications.

• Application Technique Herbicides differ in application guidelines. Read and follow all label instructions to ensure proper application. Factors affecting weed control include: spray coverage, carrier volume, application speed, adjuvants and tankmix partners.

• Product Rate The rate listed on the product label has been researched and tested by manufacturers and university researchers to provide optimal control of weeds at the height listed on the label. When you apply a herbicide at a rate less than listed on the label, the result can be insufficient control and will have a sig-nificant impact on the immediate weed control and resistance risk.

5. Do Not Allow Weed Escapes

Treat every weed escape as if it is a resistant weed. Problematic weeds that escape herbicide applications should be controlled to reduce weed

seed production. Consider spot herbicide applications, row wicking, cultivation, hand removal of weeds or other techniques to stop seed production to improve weed management for the subsequent growing seasons.

6. Zero Tolerance—Reduce The Seed Bank

Do not allow surviving weeds to set seed in order to decrease weed population shifts year to year and prevent major weed shifts. Ensure that weeds are controlled up to the edge of the field and discourage weed seed production on field borders. One Palmer amaranth plant can produce up to 1 million seeds per plant in optimal conditions.3 Therefore, the weed seed bank grows by allowing partially controlled weeds to reproduce and set seed. Creating a larger pool of weed seed in the soil seed bank increases the probability weed resistance will arise.

7. Clean Equipment

Avoid moving equipment that has not been thoroughly cleaned to prevent the spread of herbicide-resistant weeds and their seeds and to reduce the potential to introduce new invasive weeds onto uninfested acres.

INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT SUMMARY

Overreliance on a single weed control method causes resistant weeds to develop. You also add the risk of the consequential loss of a particular herbicide-tolerant system, and may eventually jeopardize the ability to grow a specific crop in a specific field. Growers face additional costs to control these weeds through unplanned herbicide applications, intense manual labor, and in extreme cases, total crop loss. Work preemptively through Integrated Weed Management practices for successful management of a resistant weed population.

2 See page 36 for source information. 3 See page 36 for source information.

Examples of Residual Herbicides

Soybean: Authority® Assist (2*, 14), Authority First (2, 14), metolachlor (15), metribuzin (5), Prefix® (14, 15), Sonic® (2), Valor® (14), Valor XLT (2, 14), Warrant™ (15)

Corn: Balance® Flexx (27), Capreno® (2, 27), Corvus® (2, 27), Laudis® (27)

Cotton: Caparol® (5), Cotoran® (7), diuron (7), metolachlor (15), pendimethalin (3), Staple® (2)

Canola: Sonalan® (3), Treflan® (3)

* Numbers in parentheses denote herbicide MOA as designated by the Weed Science Society of America.

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Counties with confirmed glyphosate-resistant weed species2:

Glyphosate-resistant weed species confirmed in the U.S.

- Common ragweed - Giant ragweed - Goosegrass - Horseweed (marestail) - Johnsongrass - Kochia - Palmer amaranth - Perennial ryegrass - Waterhemp