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How High-Performing Parent Seeds Help Drive Productivity and Licensee Profit
We all know farmer crop yields keep improving with new genetics, technologies and modern farming practices. In 1990, corn yields averaged about 120 bu/A.1 And look where they are today.
It’s no secret that yield is a top priority for farmers. While parent seed production yields will never match what farmers experience with hybrids, there have been many advancements in parent seed. It’s not often talked about, but the same cutting-edge technology Corteva Agriscience uses to increase farmers’ crop yields gets used to create higher-performing parents. The results of these efforts are paying off for many licensees.
Advancements in seed production
With a rich tradition of innovation and a long history of pushing yields to new levels, Corteva puts the latest technology to work for its licensee seed companies. Let’s take a look at some of the tools and how they can help.
- Gene editing – Gene editing allows scientists to make precise edits to a plant’s own DNA, enhancing existing traits more efficiently than traditional breeding. For example, Corteva is using the technology to develop future corn plants with multiple disease resistances and other traits to help enhance and protect yield.
- Artificial intelligence – Corteva uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve crop management and predict yields with greater accuracy. AI helps replace traditional guesswork with specific, targeted design. Corteva’s analytics use geospatial data to help farmers better understand and respond to climate challenges, map risks and optimize strategies. Corteva uses AI with similar algorithms to analyze the genetic performance, environmental interactions and production efficiencies of parents. This can help speed development and more accurately identify areas of adaptation.
- Corteva operates one of the world’s largest agricultural drone fleets, with more than 1,000 drones and more than 1,200 trained pilots globally. These drones help farmers plant and harvest efficiently, safely and sustainably by closely monitoring crops, determining crop emergence for early-stage f ields and diagnosing small issues before they become large problems. Beyond field-level impact, Corteva uses robot-powered insights in parent seed production to capture data on plant performance and environmental conditions. That information helps select and advance the most promising seed lines, optimizing yield, resilience and consistency.
- Seed production technologies – Corteva’s expertise in seed production is a key differentiator. With deep expertise in the use of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS), Corteva’s parent seed uses a high percentage of females with sterile options (and males that restore fertility) to help licensees reduce expenses through lowering detasseling costs and labor needs, while helping improve safety. Corteva also focuses on providing parent seed quality with excellent purity, helping reduce potential field labor needs to remove off-type plants.
Results in the field
Does all this technology really pay off in seed production fields? Hear what Kevin Cavanaugh, President, Peterson Corn Genetics, says about it. He shared an example in 2024 about one Corteva female inbred that produced a yield of 135 bu/A, notably higher than industry averages. “And it’s not a fluke,” he says. “The Corteva male plants have huge, bushy tassels and shed pollen for a long time, and the female plants tend to have very high yields.” Kevin added that the increased yield offers an advantage to seed producers. He says, “If you’re planning for 70 bushels an acre and get 95, that’s a $10 swing in cost of goods for independent seed companies.”
Tom Head, Manager of Key Accounts Team, Thurston Genetics, shares similar good news about yield improvements. “There are advantages in bringing new traits forward and there are yield improvements being made in seed production fields. Lots of excitement and opportunity,” he says.
“Top-end yields have ratcheted up. The old mindset was 40-50 bushels for a seed yield target. Today, it’s not uncommon to hit much higher production numbers, and results with Corteva genetics have been positive. Seed production characteristics are a key part of our vetting process at Thurston Genetics. We spend just as much time looking at parents as we do at hybrids.”
By integrating advanced technology into parent seed development, Corteva can equip licensees with genetics that consistently deliver higher yields and greater field performance. This precision-driven approach helps reduce uncertainty, streamline the selection process and lower the cost of goods for licensees. With more productive acres and improved seed efficiency, licensees can gain a competitive edge with Corteva parents and unlock stronger margins and long-term profitability.
1 R.L. Nielsen, “Historical Corn Grain Yields in the U.S.,” Corny News Network, updated February 2023, https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/corn/news/timeless/yieldtrends.html.
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