Cibus, BrettYoung To Launch New Canola Traits
15 December 2009 SAN DIEGO, Calif., US and WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Canada — The BrettYoung seed company will use its seed distribution network in the US and Canada to sell Cibus Global’s new canola traits developed through the company’s proprietary Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS).
RTDS is an environmentally safe trait development procedure that will use canola’s natural process of gene repair to effect a precise change in the genetic sequence. By mimicking natural methods in a highly targeted way, RTDS technology avoids the introduction of foreign genetic material into plants. RTDS has been recognized by the USDA as a mutagenesis technique, and is therefore not subject to the regulations applied to transgenic (or GM) crops. Mutagenesis-derived crops and traits are produced around the globe in a number of food categories, including food grains (rice, oats and durum wheat), vegetable oil crops (sunflower, canola and flax), beer ingredients (barley, hops and yeast) and seedless fruits (grapes and citrus fruits).
“Cibus’ initial crop protection trait for canola and oilseed rape has demonstrated significant commercial potential through field trials that yielded successful and robust results,” Cibus Global President Keith Walker said in a press release. “We look forward to introducing its economic benefits to farmers over the next several years, as the first among many such environmentally responsible crop traits we plan to bring to market.”
A similar agreement was reached in September between Cibus and Makhteshim-Agan.
“This agreement with BrettYoung, along with our recent $37 million Development Alliance with Mahkteshim-Agan, puts in place the commercial infrastructure for a successful launch of our first non-GMO crop traits in both North America and Europe,” Cibus Chairman Stephen Evans-Freke said in a press release..
The North American market for canola traits covers approximately 16 million acres with an annual trait value of $240 million. This same trait will be marketed in Europe with other seed partners; the European market for oil seed rape traits has a value of 450 million Euros annual revenue on 6.5 million hectares. Cibus has far-reaching plans to develop additional yield and performance enhancement traits in canola, including shatter tolerance, improved bio-energy feed stock attributes and healthier oils, according to the company.
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