E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. and Israel-based Evogene Ltd. said today they would collaborate to improve resistance to soybean rust. Under the agreement, DuPont’s Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. subsidiary and Evogene will work to develop soybean varieties displaying in-plant resistance to rust. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The companies have received an approval in principle for partial funding of the project from the BIRD Foundation, a bi-national foundation funded by the Israeli and American governments to support cooperation between Israeli and American companies in various areas of technology, according to a news release.