– Improvement In Water Efficiency Technology To Increase Productivity and Decrease Fresh Water Requirements for Sorghum Farming –
DAVIS, Calif. (October 26, 2010) – Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, and Advanta, a leading multinational seed company, today announced that the companies have reached a research and commercial development agreement for the development of Water Efficient sorghum. Under terms of the agreement, Advanta receives exclusive global rights to the use of Arcadia’s Water Efficiency technology in sorghum. Arcadia receives an upfront payment, milestone payments and a share of commercial sales revenue. This agreement builds upon the agreements the two companies reached in 2009 for the development of Nitrogen Use Efficient (NUE) and Salt Tolerant sorghum.
Sorghum is an important crop grown on more than 100 million acres globally. As the world’s population grows, the need to produce more food and feed will increase pressure on fresh water resources for crops. Using existing sorghum varieties, farmers will need more land and scarce water resources to grow sorghum and achieve much-needed yield increases. Arcadia’s Water Efficiency technology allows plants to produce higher yields per unit of available water. The expected result is high-yielding crops with a lower impact on the environment and the ability to be produced on marginal land.
In addition, sorghum is a highly productive potential biofuel source. Through the combination of technologies like NUE, Salt Tolerance, and Water Efficiency, Arcadia and Advanta anticipate development of highly-efficient sorghum-based biofuel crops that can create an alternative fuel source with significantly reduced environmental impact, low requirements for fresh water, and more favorable economics than other biofuel crops.
“Considering the global importance of sorghum as a food source and the increased interest in the crop as a source of renewable energy, it’s critical to utilize new agricultural technologies that maximize the crop’s potential and minimize its environmental impact,” said Eric Rey, president and CEO of Arcadia. “Development of Water Efficient sorghum varieties can help farmers who produce sorghum for feed or fuel to farm more efficiently in a way that’s better for our global environment.”
“This is a step in the direction of fulfilling our promise to deliver the latest technologies to sorghum farmers around the world. We believe in the future of sorghum in the world and are fully committed to bringing about a greater role for technology in this crop. We are glad to be associated with Arcadia Biosciences in this effort,” said VR Kaundinya, CEO and Managing Director of Advanta.
About Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.
Based in Davis, Calif., with additional facilities in Seattle, Wash. and Phoenix, Ariz., Arcadia Biosciences is an agricultural technology company focused on the development of agricultural products that improve the environment and enhance human health. For more information visit www.arcadiabio.com.
About Advanta
Advanta is a global seed company headquartered in India with a wide range of proprietary products in important crops that improve the productivity and profitability of the farmers in different parts of the world. Advanta is a member of the UPL Group of Companies. For more information visit www.advantaseeds.com.
