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The corrected release reads:
VERDECA AND GDM SEEDS COLLABORATE TO DEVELOP AND COMMERCIALIZE
STRESS-TOLERANT SOYBEANS
-- Leading Technology Joint Venture and Leading Soybean Seed Company
Combine Efforts to Drive Innovation in Soybean Markets --
Verdeca, a soybean technology joint venture between Bioceres and Arcadia
Biosciences, and GDM Seeds, a leading South American soybean seed
company, announced today the completion of an agreement to develop and
commercialize new soybean varieties based on Verdeca’s HB4®
stress-tolerance technology. HB4® technology
enables plants to adapt to multiple stresses and achieve higher yields.
The agreement and collaboration leverage Verdeca’s technology and
regulatory expertise, and GDM Seeds’ world-class soybean germplasm and
breeding capabilities.
Verdeca’s HB4® stress-tolerant soybeans have completed six
seasons of multi-location field trials in Argentina and the United
States, including two years of extensive regulatory trials. The results
of these trials demonstrate that HB4® technology provides a
consistent and significant yield advantage under multiple environmental
stress conditions typically found in soybean production areas.
Under the collaboration, GDM Seeds will develop and commercialize
proprietary soybean varieties incorporating HB4®
stress-tolerance technology. Integration of the HB4® trait
into the GDM Seeds soybean breeding program has been in progress under
an earlier research agreement.
“GDM Seeds is one of the most respected names in the soybean seed
industry, with a significant market share in South America, which
accounts for 49% of global soybean planted area,” said Eric Rey,
President and CEO of Arcadia Biosciences. “The Verdeca/GDM Seeds
collaboration will create significant value for soybean growers and end
markets by increasing the productivity and sustainability of the world’s
most important protein crop.”
“The combination of GDM Seeds’ elite germplasm with Verdeca’s proven HB4®
stress-tolerance technology and regulatory capabilities creates an
exciting opportunity to fundamentally change the landscape of the
soybean business in South America,” said Federico Trucco, CEO of
Bioceres.
Grown on 112 million hectares globally, soybeans are the world’s
fourth-largest crop. Nearly 44% of the world’s soybeans are grown in
Argentina and Brazil. Growth in global population, combined with a
growing middle-class in countries such as China and India, create an
ever-increasing demand for dietary protein from soybeans.
“GDM Seeds invests in breeding programs and new technologies to develop
better soybean varieties and bring those varieties to farmers through
its brands Don Mario and Brasmax as well as its licensing partners,”
said Gerardo Bartolome, President of GDM Seeds. “The combination of our
elite germplasm and an innovative technology like HB4® should
give farmers a very valuable tool to help increase their productivity.”
About GDM Seeds
GDM Seeds is a leading Argentina-based seed company focused on soybeans,
but with operations in wheat and corn. GDM Seeds soybean varieties are
consistently ranked among the top varieties in key soybean markets such
as Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. Additionally, the company
has been at the forefront of technology adoption in South America and
prides itself on bringing value and crop improvement to farmers. For
more information visit: www.donmario.com.
About Verdeca
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