Anticipating high farmer demand for Roundup Ready Flex cotton, many seed companies planned a rapid conversion from Roundup Ready cotton varieties to the new product in 2006. The launch was jeopardized in 2004, however, when significant leaf necrosis was observed in treated plants in a few of the field research trials.

A Monsanto team was called in to examine the causes of injury. The team duplicated the necrosis in environmentally controlled growth chambers and quickly identified the problem. A new glyphosate formulation, Cropshield, was developed, and the team worked with selected competing glyphosate manufacturers to test their products’ performance on Roundup Ready Flex cotton.

The team announced that Monsanto would not charge more for its new formulation. In addition, Monsanto shared its data with cotton farmers, the chemistry retail channel, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Cotton Council. The team then validated its quality and analytical procedures for the new glyphosate formulations. Facilities were modified and plans were made to segregate Flex-appropriate from non-Flex-appropriate glyphosate production materials.

By ensuring that Roundup Ready Flex launched on time, the team provided value to seed producers and dealers who had committed to the new product, and it allowed farmers to realize the benefits of this new technology.