Agricomseeds Announces Breakthrough in Corn Yield

News provided by

Feb 02, 2017, 07:40 ET

SAO PAULO, Feb. 2, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Agricomseeds has created the first natural trait in corn specifically for yield increases, ready to plant early in the 2017 season.

The new trait named LEADGRAIN™ is a multiple gene trait designed to aggregate more than double the ovules at the cob matrix, causing an ear expansion and accommodating more kernel rows and kernels in each plant.

Corn without LEADGRAIN(TM) (A), with LEADGRAIN(TM) (B)

Hybrid corn originates from two parents, male and female. When Agricomseeds uses the trait only in one parent the ears have 20-24 rows (A), when the trait is used in both parents the ears have 28-32 rows (B).

Agricomseeds has spent 12 years to develop LEADGRAIN™ a non-GMO trait, which is different from the highly regulated transgenic herbicide or insect resistance traits. LEADGRAIN™ increases corn yields in the farmer's field. Agricomseeds has obtained 35 to 50 % more yield using LEADGRAIN™.

LEADGRAIN™ also makes it possible to plant low populations under high temperature stress, as low as 24,000 plants/acre (60.000 plants/hectare) are successful. This is a different approach for increasing yield compared with the usual standard of high corn plant population practices that require 23% more density of 30,000 plants/acre (74.000 plants/hectare), which makes the corn more sensitive to heat stress.

Heat is an increasing problem; the publication National Geographic – The Future of the Foods, said, "Corn yields could fall 15 to 30 percent - unless new varieties or agronomic techniques can offset the trend." Our trait LEADGRAIN™ brings this new agronomic technique to farmers. "The future corn yield will depend on the global high temperatures and it's most likely outcome: drought. Our R&D is has and will continue to focus on heat and drought," said Jean Carlo Landivar Agricomseeds' CEO.

About Agricomseeds

Agricomseeds is a genetics research and development company, focused on creating new polygenic traits to adapt plants to hot environments and transforming agriculture to successfully face the current and future challenges.

Agricomseeds has two subsidiaries: Tropigene in San Pablo, Brazil, and Agricomseeds in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Agricomseeds licenses corn traits and exports seeds to several countries.

Contact Information:

Agricomseeds
Jean Carlo Landivar CEO
[email protected]
+59177340216

SOURCE Agricomseeds