Recently, greenlight Bioscience and germains seed technology, an industry leader in seed treatment technology, announced a research cooperation agreement to promote the first commercial application of RNA as a seed treatment agent to control crop diseases and provide options for farmers seeking innovative solutions.
The two companies will cooperate to explore the synergy between germains’ seed infiltration and coating technology, greenlight’s dsRNA expertise and cost-effective large-scale production, so as to protect vegetable crops. Greenlight announced in October 2021 that it had achieved effective field control of fungal pathogens using double stranded RNA for the first time.
“Farmers and agribusinesses have been looking for effective, affordable and sustainable alternatives to traditional crop protection, especially under increasing environmental and market pressures,” said Mark singleton, senior vice president of technology and external innovation at greenlight.
“We are pleased to work with germains’s outstanding seed processing experts to develop other potential applications of RNA to meet these challenges. Our plant in Rochester, New York has the ability to produce high-quality RNA on a large scale at low cost, which means that we have the ability to quickly commercialize and scale new products in our pipeline,” he said
“Germains seed technology has been a leader in the international seed industry for 150 years. Our strength stems from our commitment to innovation. We strive to maximize the potential of nature and meet the needs of our customers,” said Dale Krolikowski, head of business development and research at germains.
“We believe that this new collaboration with greenlight bioscience can create a new generation of this product. RNA technology offers great potential for the seed processing industry. We are pleased to work with greenlight’s innovators to move the industry forward.”
Greenlight’s technology complements Germain’s health brand. The health brand has introduced several novel seed treatment products in the past few years, including ultim, an organic product used to control Pythium ®- ST.Germains, which are transmitted through seeds and soil, cause huge crop losses every year, and germains has been committed to solving such diseases. This cooperation will enable germains to provide customers with further innovation.
The annual growth rate of seed processing value is estimated to be between us $1.2 billion and US $1.5 billion. If this cooperation is successful, it will be an important supplement to greenlight’s product portfolio and future agricultural product pipeline, as well as a key supplement to germains’s innovative seed treatment and grower solutions.
Greenlight expects its RNA based products for controlling Colorado potato beetles to be approved by U.S. regulators in 2022. The company also plans to submit its bee health solution to the US Environmental Protection Agency this year. Greenlight has seven agricultural products under development, which are planned to be launched by 2026, with a potential market of US $6 billion.
Source: World agrochemical network
Post time: Feb-14-2022