Listen to the conversation here:
Bayer is preparing to bring a new soybean trait platform to the marketplace that could give farmers more options for managing increasingly challenging weed pressure. Becca Chaudhari is Strategic Account Lead for Winfield United within Bayer’s Crop Science Division, representing Bayer’s North America commercial business. She tells Brownfield Viconic is designed to offer five herbicide tolerances in a single soybean trait stack, compared with the three modes of action found in many current options. That added flexibility could help farmers adjust their weed-control programs when weather, field conditions or other challenges force a change in plans.
Bayer expects a commercial introduction of Viconic in 2027, pending regulatory approvals, with a full product launch anticipated in 2028. Chaudhari says Viconic is more than a one-time product launch; it is the foundation of a broader soybean strategy that includes future HT5 and HT6 technologies. HT6 is particularly notable because it is expected to introduce a new PPO mode of action – the first new one in about 30 years. Bayer is also focused on maintaining soybean performance alongside herbicide flexibility, with Chaudhari pointing to a recent genetics class that delivered a 2.2-bushel-per-acre yield advantage. As farmers face Palmer amaranth, waterhemp, weather challenges and tighter farm economics, she says the goal is to give growers more tools in the toolbox while maximizing the value of every acre.
Brownfield talked with Chaudhari at Bayer Innovation Showcase in Huxley, Iowa in early September.
