Cotton sweep

Monsanto, the world's leading supplier of genetically modified crop seed, has agreed to buy Delta Pine and Land, a Mississippi-based cotton-seed supplier, for $1.5 billion. The purchase, announced on 15 August, should end fierce litigation between the two companies over previous efforts by Monsanto, based in St Louis, Minnesota, to take over the Mississippi company. If regulators and shareholders approve the deal, it will widen Monsanto's commanding lead in the transgenic crop market, where Switzerland's Syngenta is its main remaining rival.

Summer clear-out

Jeff Kindler, Pfizer's freshly appointed chief executive, has moved swiftly to reshape top management at the world's largest drug company (see Nature 442, 734; 2006). Karen Katen, one of his rivals for the highest position and head of the company's pharmacological division, will leave the company altogether, whereas David Shedlarz, the other contender and Pfizer's finance chief, gains wider responsibilities. Kindler also named a seven-strong taskforce, including research chief John LaMattina, which, he said, would streamline company operations and accelerate decision-making.

Chip float

German semiconductor-maker Infineon Technologies managed to float its memory-chip arm, Qimonda, on the New York Stock Exchange. The public offering raised just $546 million — not bad by current standards, but less than half what analysts had predicted when the float was first announced. The offer was hurt by bad market sentiment towards such offerings in all technology sectors and by falling prices for Qimonda's main product, the memory chips used in personal computers. Some market watchers expressed relief, however, that the float actually went ahead in current market conditions.