Purdue University and Dow AgroScience discover a gene in soybeans that can provide resistance to fugal disease, Phytophthora sojae.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture opened the door Friday to commercial sales of corn and soybean seeds genetically engineered to resist the weed killer 2,4-D, which is best known as an ingredient in the Vietnam War-era herbicide Agent Orange.

POWERCORE, a new corn trait technology from Dow AgroSciences, received registration from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A combination of Herculex I and VT Double Pro, it provides broad-spectrum control of aboveground corn insects, including black cutworm and western bean cutworm.