Our R&D organization strives to be the best at designing, discovering and developing innovations that create value for farmers and deliver consumer benefits in planet-friendly ways.

Germplasm: A Key R&D Differentiator

Farmers weigh many factors when making their seed purchase decisions. The top consideration? Yield and yield stability, year-over-year.

Corteva’s breeding organization, coupled with local testing and product advancement discipline, ensures that products powered by the Corteva R&D engine meet the demands of our customers-the farmers. Combining high performing locally adapted germplasm with leading traits and crop protection products, Corteva offers comprehensive solutions to drive yield performance for growers today and into the future.

For more than 90 years, Corteva has built a collection of unique germplasm with industry-leading performance that allow plants to produce more with fewer resources, while resisting disease, pests and extreme weather that threaten their ability to grow.

Investments in new methods of breeding ensure that our scientists have the tools they need to build our genetic gain trajectory for years to come. In the last 10 years, breeding technologies have increased the effective size of our breeding programs 10X. By combining genetic, statistic, engineering, and analytic principles we have built a powerful breeding system that can be applied globally to all crops.


Why It Matters

Advancements in breeding compound over time. Corteva’s long history of germplasm advantage creates a strong differentiation for the seed product brands in our portfolio.



90+ years of germplasm
Largest and most robust germplasm portfolio in the world for key crops such as corn, soybeans and sunflowers
8x the amount of food grown globally today compared to 1916, largely due to higher yielding seed products
The current world record for corn yield as of 2019-- 616 bushels per acre with Pioneer brand hybrid P1197 AMXT– is held by David Hula of Virginia.


Protecting our land

In addition to farmer benefits, more productive seeds yield environmental and societal benefits as well. When seed products perform at higher levels, less arable land is needed to meet the rising food needs of a growing population. The acres saved by the higher productivity of acres currently in production:

  • Protect fragile or uncultivated lands around the world
  • Bolster farmer income
  • Help meet food security goals


