NK Soybean Milestones
Syngenta celebrates 45 years of excellence in soybean breeding.
1969
The Northrup King (NK®) soybean research program begins with the hiring of John Thorne, Ph.D. Thorne establishes a soybean research site in Iowa.
1973
NK becomes the first private company (not a university) to sell a proprietary soybean variety.
1989
NK releases its S31-33 variety, the first soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistant NK variety in the Midwest.
1992
NK grows its first genetically engineered soybeans.
1994
NK pilots Q-Bit®, the first plastic box bulk soybean container.
1996
Sandoz and Ciba merge to form Novartis, one of the largest corporate mergers in history.
1997
NK sells its first Roundup Ready® soybeans.
1999
NK introduces TruBulk®, a program that allows growers to pick up bulk soybean seed directly from participating local outlets.
2000
Novartis and AstraZeneca merge their agribusinesses to form Syngenta, the first global group focused exclusively on agribusiness.
2004
Syngenta acquires the Golden Harvest® and Garst® brands. Both companies begin selling NK soybeans.
Thorne receives the Genetics & Plant Breeding Award for Industry from the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders at the Crop Science Society of America annual meeting.
2009
NK 1 Class Soybeans become a new standard in soybean performance.
2013
NK grows its first Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybean lines in multilocation trials across the Midwest.
Syngenta launches the Yield Engineering System (Y.E.S.) Marker-Assisted Breeding innovation; data analytics accelerate NK product development and NK soybean yield gains.
2014
Syngenta sells an SCN management tool that complements SCN-resistant NK varieties - Clariva™ Complete Beans nematicide/insecticide/fungicide seed treatment, a combination of separately registered products.
The Northrup King (NK®) soybean research program begins with the hiring of John Thorne, Ph.D. Thorne establishes a soybean research site in Iowa.
1973
NK becomes the first private company (not a university) to sell a proprietary soybean variety.
1989
NK releases its S31-33 variety, the first soybean cyst nematode (SCN) resistant NK variety in the Midwest.
1992
NK grows its first genetically engineered soybeans.
1994
NK pilots Q-Bit®, the first plastic box bulk soybean container.
1996
Sandoz and Ciba merge to form Novartis, one of the largest corporate mergers in history.
1997
NK sells its first Roundup Ready® soybeans.
1999
NK introduces TruBulk®, a program that allows growers to pick up bulk soybean seed directly from participating local outlets.
2000
Novartis and AstraZeneca merge their agribusinesses to form Syngenta, the first global group focused exclusively on agribusiness.
2004
Syngenta acquires the Golden Harvest® and Garst® brands. Both companies begin selling NK soybeans.
Thorne receives the Genetics & Plant Breeding Award for Industry from the National Council of Commercial Plant Breeders at the Crop Science Society of America annual meeting.
2009
NK 1 Class Soybeans become a new standard in soybean performance.
2013
NK grows its first Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybean lines in multilocation trials across the Midwest.
Syngenta launches the Yield Engineering System (Y.E.S.) Marker-Assisted Breeding innovation; data analytics accelerate NK product development and NK soybean yield gains.
2014
Syngenta sells an SCN management tool that complements SCN-resistant NK varieties - Clariva™ Complete Beans nematicide/insecticide/fungicide seed treatment, a combination of separately registered products.
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