Dow AgroSciences Receives First International Patent for Lead Commercial Event in Herbicide Tolerant Traits

Dow AgroSciences LLC, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW), announced today the publication of an international patent application for its lead commercial herbicide tolerance event in corn. The corn event is part of Dow AgroSciences’ innovative new class of herbicide tolerant traits, and is planned to be commercialized in the 2012-2013 timeframe. As described in Publication No. WO/2011/022469, the invention includes 2,4-D tolerant corn plants containing the novel transformation event in corn plants and methods of using the corn plants and 2,4-D herbicide to control glyphosate resistant weeds.

The Dow AgroSciences’ patent filing is expected to provide proprietary protection for corn plants containing the event, methods for controlling glyphosate-resistant weeds, and uses of Dow AgroSciences’ herbicide tolerance trait in combination with novel 2,4-D herbicides, the FOP family of herbicides, and other broad spectrum and selective herbicides. The patent application also covers stacking the event with other traits, including traits for tolerance to other herbicides and/or traits conferring insect-resistance in corn. The Dow AgroSciences’ patent application was filed as part of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) centralized filing process under which the patent application can be filed in all major industrial countries in the world. On November 23, 2010, Dow AgroSciences received U.S. Patent No. 7,833,733, the first of its granted U.S. patents in its family of proprietary herbicide tolerant technologies.

"This is a significant step and shows real progress on our journey to commercialize a solution for growers around the world facing weed control challenges,” said Tony Klemm, Global Business Leader, Dow AgroSciences. "This patent publication for our lead commercial event in corn reinforces our leadership in bringing forward innovation that can be commercialized and put to work for farmers as they address the need for increased productivity to feed a growing world.”

About Dow AgroSciences

Dow AgroSciences, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is a top-tier agricultural company providing innovative agrochemical and biotechnology solutions globally. The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, has sales of $4.9 billion. Learn more at www.dowagro.com. Follow Dow AgroSciences on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DowAgrosciences and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/DowAgroSciences or subscribe to our News Release RSS Feed.