1. Monsanto Corn Breeding:
Providing Improved Products to Multiple
Commercial Channels
Keys to Success
• Breeding programs are structured to
support commercial strategy
Line Review Worksheet
• Automation of the breeding process has 08_01DKD2*2/7640:@>0003.1001.
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Lines Nursery notes
YLD % of
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Mean Keep Plot Lineage
Select Pedigree Trait 1 Trait 2 Trait 3 Comments
increased the breeding through-put, which x 08_01DKD2*2/7640:@>0003.1001. 110 14011 :@>0003.1001.4001. 7 5 22 nice
08_01DKD2*2/7640:@>0102.1001. 95 X 14012 :@>0003.1001.4002. 6 6 24 better
Breeder Comments
08_01DKD2*2/7640:@>0126.1001. 85
Advance this line into PCM1 on 6 testers
x 08_01DKD2*2/7640:@>0160.1002. 120
08_01DKD2*2/7640:@>0171.1003. 101
x
enables intense selection pressure to
08_01DKD2*2/7640:@>0175.1002. 105
08_01DKD2*2/7640:@>0179.1003. 87
Data GCA SCA Checks Check mean
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Line Data Double click entry to show Set data sheet
Select Set Entry Tester Gen # Loc SELIN YLD MST TWT YM RTLP STLP PHT EHT CZ INT FSP DRP ERM
GCA All 39 120 120 105 97 120 220 105 100 75 75 100 114
identify the very best products
X C7201 5 19HGZ1 F4 13 140 250 18.5 56.3 14 15 115 53 1 99 113
C8202 4 80IDM2 F4 13 103 229 19.1 56.7 12 2 116 44 3 4 100 114
X C8207 12 LH283 F4 13 113 226 19 57 12 1 118 42 5 4 100 115
C8101 26 :@>0003+ F3 7 132 241 18 56 13 6 112 51 2 99 113
Rank Data Ranks Data
• Expanding germplasm diversity by utilizing
Set Entry Tester Overall Loc 1 Loc 2 Loc 3 Loc 4 Loc 5 Loc 6 Loc 7 Loc 8 Loc 9 Loc 10 Loc 11 Loc 12 Loc 13 Loc 14 Loc 15
Sort by Yield Levels
Mean Yield 140 150 160 165 170 175 180 185 190 200 210 215 300
C7201 5 19HGZ1 1 45 55 66 33 20 5 4 4 3 2 2 1 2
Green - Hybrid above chk m
C8202 4 80IDM2 18 50 66 33 21 30 40 5 6 7 8 2 1 3
Red - Hybrid below chk mea
C8207 12 LH283 16 60 12 20 30 8 8 5 4 10 12 2 8 4
C7201 5 19HGZ1 2 1 5 8 25 47 36 22 1 1 5 4 3 8
our pool of global germplasm C8202 4 80IDM2 4 2 5 22 44 56 12 11 5 8 22 14 16 55
C8207 12 LH283 16 14 22 11 10 1 17 27 26 5 4 9 8 7
• Utilize molecular markers to enhance the
probability of success
• Rapidly integrate biotech traits into elite
products
• Expanded our pipeline depth to provide
more improved products
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2. Regional Breeding Teams
Based on Adaptation Areas
North
W. Central E. Central
South
Regional Breeding Team Objectives:
1. Focus on most elite germplasm
2. Maintain important germplasm types
3. Enhance product diversity
4. Enhance breeder germplasm
knowledge and info exchange
5. Breeder synergy to identify and 2
support customer needs

3. State of the Art Field Plot Equipment
Enables Optimal Farming Practices
1.8x Growth
Optimal Planting Date
Optimal Plant Spacing
From Texas - Canada 2.75
2.50
Plots (Millions)
180000
2.25
Plots Planter / Day
160000
140000
2.00
120000
1.75
100000
80000
1.50
60000
40000
1.25
20000
1.00
0
'03 '04 '05 '06 '07E
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27
30
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29
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4. Monsanto Tests Future Products in
Hundreds of Environments
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5. Global Germplasm Resources
Enable Deployment of
Differentiated Product Portfolios
12 countries and 3 companies/country = 36 major germplasm acquisitions
Asgrow
DEKALB
Int’l
Int’l
Asgrow USA
DEKALB
USA Inter-company
Crosses
Cargill Int’l
Holden’s
Agroceres
Sensako
“Inter-company” breeding crosses are a routine part of our program
Starting 2nd Breeding Generation of an integrated germplasm pool

6. Utilization of our Global Germplasm Pool is Creating
Products with Unique Genetics
23% of
50-60% of Our Pre-Commercial Pipeline Commercial
For RM 110-120 Products
New Germplasm with Ex-US Genetics

7. New Products with Ex-US Genetics Have Improved Grain
Yield Compared With Other Products
Monsanto Product
Competitor Product
Monsanto Product
Competitor Product
Monsanto Product Competitor Product
Higher Grain Yield

8. New Products with Ex-US Genetics Have Improved Stalk
Strength and Stability Compared With Other Products
Better Stalks in
Environments
with More Stalk Lodging
Monsanto Product
Competitor Product
Monsanto Product
Competitor Product
Competitor Product
Monsanto Product
Better Stalks

9. Getting the “Best” Genetic
Combination Is a “Numbers Game”
• Lottery
– 5 White balls selected from a set of white
balls numbered 1-55
– 1 Red ball selected from a set of red balls
numbered 1-42
9 10
1 2 3 4 56 7 8
– Probability of matching the 6 numbers is
~1 in 146 million
• Genetic Combinations
– Slots (picked white and red balls = 6)
equal genes
– The different numbers on the balls are
different alleles (variant) at each gene
55 alleles – Probability of getting the “best” (match) 6
at this gene (slot) numbers is ~1 in 146 million
• Getting the “best” plant product is much
10 Chromosomes of Corn
harder
– Corn as tens of thousands of genes (slots)
– Monsanto’s elite global germplasm pool
has lots of genetic variation (alleles)
– With just 20 genes and only 2 alleles the
probability is ~1 in 1 trillion of getting the
“best” plant
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10. Monsanto is Changing the
“Numbers Game” in Plant Breeding
With a Few Cycles of Selection
Use Molecular Markers to Identify
We Can Quickly Improve our
Which “Ball” We Want to Pick
Probability of Success
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Cycle Freq. of Best Genotype
0 1 per trillion
1 5 per billion
2 1 per 5,000
3 1 in 5
Grain Yield Grain Yield
from Parent 1 from Parent 2
2

11. Monsanto Built New IT Systems
to Handle All of the Information
3500000
Conv Select Traits
Data points (millions)
3000000
MAB
2500000 Quality metrics
Predicted Model Response
2000000
Parental Contribution
1500000
1000000
500000
Identify and Select QTLs
0
Phenotypic Genotypic QC Analysis
• Breeder’s have 1-2 weeks to process • Decision support systems integrated
and make decisions on millions of dps with phenotypic and genotypic
information systems
• 700% increase in information and
analysis with the inclusion of
molecular marker information 3

12. Marker Assisted Breeding Methods are Starting
to Deliver Improved Products to the Market
Monsanto Product
Competitor Product
Monsanto Product
Competitor Product
Monsanto Product Competitor Product
Higher Grain Yield
4

13. Key Points of Monsanto’s Corn
Breeding Program
• Expanded the scale of the breeding engine
• Improvements in equipment and automation has driven
growth in the program size and yield testing capability
(plots).
• Integrated and utilized our global elite
germplasm pools to deliver improved product
performance and product diversity
– We continue to deliver the biotech trait package
with the very best germplasm
• Utilizing new technologies (molecular
markers) to improve the rate of genetic gain
in our breeding programs
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