BASF submits application for registration of new Engenia™ herbicide

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC, April 10, 2012 -- Farmers are one step closer to an innovative solution that will help manage tough weeds, maintain advances in conservation tillage practices and enhance productivity. BASF Crop Protection today announced the submission to regulatory agencies in the United States of the registration application for Engenia^™ herbicide, a technologically advanced dicamba formulation.

Farmers will be able to use Engenia,in combination with other herbicides and agronomic practices, in an effective, weed control system enabled by dicamba-tolerant crops currently in development.

“Farmers fighting against herbicide resistance have an important new tool in Engenia which, field research shows, will offer excellent weed control and crop safety, as well as low-volatility characteristics for improved on-target application,” said Paul Rea, Vice President, U.S. Crop Protection, BASF.

Engenia will deliver broad-spectrum burndown of more than 100 annual broadleaf weeds, including tough, glyphosate-resistant weeds like Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, marestail, velvetleaf, morningglory and giant ragweed. In fact, field research demonstrates that Engenia is more effective than 2, 4-D on many problem weeds, such as velvetleaf, marestail, giant ragweed and morningglory.

A registration decision by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Engenia is anticipated in a parallel time frame with commercialization of a dicamba-tolerant soybean system.

Commercialization of the dicamba-tolerant system for soybeans is expected in the U.S. mid-decade, with cotton, corn and canola to follow.

“Farmers have only a few post-applied herbicide options in soybeans,” Rea said. “Engenia offers an additional site of action for post-emergence control, and can also be used preemergence in dicamba-tolerant soybeans, giving farmers maximum application flexibility to target key weeds.”

As the industry’s leading dicamba innovator, BASF utilized its technical expertise to develop Engenia, which offers improvements in performance and physical characteristics of dicamba that further minimize potential volatility. As with any post-emergence herbicide, proper application techniques are critical for managing spray drift and maximizing on-target performance.

BASF is committed to herbicide best practices for sustainable use of its products, including stewardship programs that encourage proper application and integrated weed resistance management practices. BASF will provide ongoing education to support these best practices and on-target application, including the On Target Application Academy, which provides information to growers who self-apply herbicides to help them get the most out of every application.

“With innovative solutions, technical support and educational tools, BASF is a grower’s No. 1 partner for managing weed resistance by providing more corn and soybean herbicide sites of action than any other crop protection company,” Rea said. “The registration application for Engenia, as well as the recently launched OpTill^® PRO herbicide and Armezon^™ herbicide, demonstrates our commitment to provide growers with new chemistries to maximize their yield potential and proactively manage resistant weeds.”

For more information on herbicide best practices, please visit http://agro.basf.us/stewardship/herbicide-best-practices.html.

For more information on BASF Crop Protection products, visit http://agproducts.basf.us, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

 

About the Crop Protection division

With sales of € 4.1 billion in 2011, BASF’s Crop Protection division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF’s Crop Protection division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at www.agro.basf.com or follow us on twitter: www.twitter.com/basfagro.

BASF – The Chemical Company

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $19.9 billion in 2011. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about €73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

Always read and follow label directions.

Engenia is not registered and not available for sale. This press release is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to promote the sale of this product.

Any sale of this product after registration is obtained shall be solely on the basis of the EPA approved product label(s), and any claims regarding product safety and efficacy shall be addressed solely by the label(s).

Armezon and Engenia are trademarks of BASF.

OpTill is a registered trademark of BASF.

©2012 BASF Corporation. All Rights Reserved. APN 12-12-DTS-0003en-1

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