The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Monsanto Co. sign an exclusive licensing agreement to develop crops tolerant to the broadleaf herbicide dicamba.

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) and Monsanto Co. sign an exclusive licensing agreement to develop crops tolerant to the broadleaf herbicide dicamba. Biochemist Don Weeks and colleagues identified a gene that can make dicamba-sensitive crops, such as soybeans, tolerant to the widely used herbicide. The university has several patents pending on this discovery. The university granted exclusive license to Monsanto to integrate this trait into high-yielding commercial crop lines. University scientists will provide technical support to move this technology from the lab to field as soon as possible, says Prem Paul, UNL vice chancellor for research.