Dupont indicated its merger with Dow Chemical would take longer than previously expected.

According to Reuters, the two companies involved in the proposed $130-billion merger have been in talks with European Union antitrust regulators, who have extended the review deadline to March 14. The regulators are concerned about the companies’ crop protection businesses and whether the merger will hurt the amount invested in crop protection research.

If the merger were approved, DowDuPont would be the world’s largest crop protection and seed company.

Reuters also reports that ChemChina and Syngenta are trying to allay concerns about ChemChina’s takeover of the Swiss company by submitting proposed remedies to European Union antitrust regulators. ChemChina has also filed for U.S. antitrust approval with the Federal Trade Commission, according to Bloomberg.

IN OTHER NO-TILL NEWS…

• BASF expanded its On Target Application Academy stewardship program with an online training module. Available at bit.ly/basfotaa, the new digital training will provide users with the best practices for proper and effective herbicide application to reduce weed resistance.
• Vegalab US added Myco BioBoost, a concentrated and customizable mycorrhizal fungus soil inoculant, to its product line. The mycorrhizae are obtained in vitro to guarantee an exact spore count and eliminate potential contamination of other organisms.
• Monsanto will add a microbial seed treatment to all new corn hybrids in 2017. Acceleron B-300 SAT is a new formulation of JumpStart with spores designed to grow along with plant roots and help the plant take up nutrients more easily.
• Bayer and MS Technologies received…