A new variety of soybeans, called Y-series soybeans, developed by DuPont may come from a biotech company, but it’s not GM that delivered the yield advantage they are trumpeting.

Instead, a significant yield increase stemmed from molecular marker technologies — a biotechnology approach involving no genetic engineering.

Genetic engineering is poor at improving productivity. Soybeans yield is controlled by many different genes working in combination. It is likely that Monsanto’s new “RReady 2Yield” soybeans do not owe their own yield claims to genetic engineering, but instead to parent developed conventionally with the help of molecular marker technologies.