Bayer CropScience to showcase seed treatment Poncho/VOTIVO at Commodity Classic, March 1-3 in Nashville, Tennessee; product combines seed-applied insecticide with nematode protection, brings average corn yield increase of 4-to-8 bushels/acre, company says

Alison Gallant

NASHVILLE, Tennessee , February 28, 2012 (press release) – Recent yield data(1) confirms that Poncho®/VOTiVO®, a seed treatment that combines the most trusted seed-applied insecticide in corn with the most revolutionary, complete nematode protection on the seed, consistently provides higher crop yield for corn when compared to using only Poncho® 250 and soybeans when compared to using Gaucho® alone. Growers and seed treaters can learn more about these results at Bayer CropScience's booth during Commodity Classic, March 1 through March 3, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn.

According to the United Nations, the current world population is 7 billion and expected to surpass 9 billion by 2050. Because of this, more food needs to be produced by using less land, water and energy. Bayer CropScience views seed treatment technology as an essential part of helping increase the food supply.

Growers using Poncho/VOTiVO nationwide are seeing higher yields among their corn and soybean crops. Based on current commodity prices, on average growers can earn an additional $24.75 per acre in corn and $15.20 per acre in soybeans by using Poncho/VOTiVO.(2) Further, five years of field tests have shown that Poncho/VOTiVO brings an average increase in corn yields of 4-to-8 bushels per acre. Over four years of evaluation, soybean growers have seen an average of 1.5-to-2.5 bushels per acre increase beyond seeds with standard treatment.(3)

Poncho/VOTiVO was first introduced on corn seed for the 2011 growing season, and is now available for soybeans and cotton for the 2012 growing season. For corn, Poncho/VOTiVO controls insects including black cutworms, wireworms and other important early-season insects, as well as nematodes, such as needle, root lesion, lance, dagger, stubby root, sting, spiral, root knot and stunt.

For soybeans, Poncho/VOTiVO controls insects including early-season aphids, over-wintering bean leaf beetle, seed corn maggot, grape colaspis, white grub and other early-season pests. It also protects soybeans from nematodes, such as reniform, root knot and soybean cyst (SCN). Poncho/VOTiVO also complements existing SCN-resistant soybean varieties for even greater protection.

"The data we have seen supports Poncho/VOTiVO's promise to deliver consistent yield benefits to growers," said Ethan Luth, Bayer CropScience seed treatment product manager. "And while yield increases are important, Poncho/VOTiVO also helps enable growers to get their seed off to a strong start, which allows them to reap more benefits from the seeds they plant, including increased plant health and vigor."

For more information about Poncho/VOTiVO visit http://www.ponchovotivo.us.

About Bayer CropScience

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care, nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience, a subgroup of Bayer AG with annual sales of EUR 6.830 billion (2010), is one of the world's leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and traits. The company offers an outstanding range of products and extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a global workforce of 20,700 and is represented in more than 120 countries. This and further news is available at: www.press.bayercropscience.com.

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