PowerPollen announces its first pollination solution available for corn production, the in-season control, a pollination technology platform that will be commercially available to farmers in 2026.
Grain farmers traditionally plan their hybrid seed and crop input purchases before the next growing season. After planting and inputs are deployed, a field's yield potential for the season is set. This can leave a farmer's return on investment dependent on their decisions made the previous year, the weather, and the current year's market prices. But, in-season control changes that.
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The technology licensed by Corteva and Bayer will advance farmers' control with their field's pollination and seed set by using desired genetics delivered in the pollen. Results showed an efficient cross-pollination, which maximizes grain yield, and trait composition. It also provided unprecedented in-season control of their crop's productivity and value while mitigating environmental risks caused by a changing climate.
"There are many ways to improve productivity, but none puts more optionality in growers' hands than enabling control of pollination," says Todd Krone, founder and CEO of PowerPollen. "For the first time, farmers can select output traits needed to meet current market demand while in season – rather than relying on decisions locked in during the previous winter."
In 2021, in-season control was a part of on-farm trials using high-oil pollen resulted in up to $200 per acre of additional value by enabling a 60% increase in oil over normal-oil hybrids with no reduction in yield. It also had an average 8% yield increase; and 14% more kernels per ear.
Jeff Taylor, a farmer, and chairman of Lincolnway Energy, was impressed with the product's effect on his fields.
"The notable increase in oil and number of kernels show PowerPollen's ability to deliver unique traits through pollination, thereby turning a standard hybrid into Jasoa top oil-yielding hybrid without hindrance to overall yield. In addition, PowerPollen's ability to increase oil production by 1 pound per bushel is a significant step-change in the value of ethanol production to our growers," he says.
Source: Successful Farming