-- Triple stack innovation demonstrates value across multiple
growing conditions, enhancing crop productivity, climate stability and
stewardship --
DAVIS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2018--
Arcadia
Biosciences (Nasdaq: RKDA), an agricultural food ingredient company,
today announced field trials results from the past two crop seasons
showing significant yield gains in rice with three of Arcadia’s
proprietary input traits stacked together. In the trials, conducted at
the International
Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in Colombia, multiple rice
lines carrying the nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), water use efficiency
(WUE) and salinity tolerance (ST) traits outperformed appropriate
control lines by an average of 25 percent under limiting nitrogen
applications, when measured for yield, with the lead line yielding up to
33 percent more. The same lines yielded an average of 40 percent more
than controls under combined limiting nitrogen and drought conditions in
the field, with the lead line showing 50 percent higher yield under
multiple abiotic stresses.
Previous field trials in California by Arcadia had shown the potential
for stacking these traits in rice as a tool to safeguard food security,
and the recent data from CIAT confirms that there may be synergistic
effects between traits that protect crops against various abiotic
stresses. These results indicate Arcadia’s rice crop can offer a new
strategy to preserve yield from potential loss due to climate change. In
addition, Arcadia’s rice varieties offer more efficient nitrogen use,
effective nutrient management, optimizing uptake and reducing nutrient
loss and leaching, a global environmental concern.
“Arcadia is a recognized leader in the area of abiotic stress mitigation
traits targeting meaningful yield gains in the most important crops in
the world,” said Raj Ketkar, president and CEO. “These results show that
our agricultural productivity traits hold significant promise to help
farmers globally as they deal with the effects of a variety of
challenging growing conditions, such as nutrient-deficient soil, drought
and salinity, enabling them to increase yields and improve farm revenue.”
Rice is the world’s most valuable crop, with an annual harvest value of
around $340 billion. Americans eat an average of 26 pounds of rice
annually, while Asians consume 300 pounds per year per capita. Global
rice production in 2017 was 837.3 million tons, grown on 399 million
acres worldwide, roughly equivalent to the surface area of Iran, the 17th
largest country in the world.
The triple-stack trait trials in rice are part of the NEWEST project,
coordinated by the African
Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), and sponsored by the Feed
the Future initiative of USAID. AATF recently secured continued
funding for performing regulatory field trials with NUE rice in Africa.
About Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.
Arcadia Biosciences (Nasdaq: RKDA) develops and markets high-value food
ingredients and nutritional oils that help meet consumer demand for a
healthier diet. Arcadia’s GoodWheat™ branded ingredients deliver health
benefits to consumers and enable consumer packaged goods companies to
differentiate their brands in the marketplace. The company’s portfolio
of agricultural traits are being developed to enable farmers around the
world to be more productive and minimize the impact of agriculture on
the environment. For more information visit www.arcadiabio.com.
About the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
The International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) – a CGIAR
Research Center – develops technologies, innovative methods, and new
knowledge that better enable farmers, especially smallholders, to make
agriculture eco-efficient – that is, competitive and profitable as well
as sustainable and resilient. Eco-efficient agriculture reduces hunger
and poverty, improves human nutrition, and offers solutions to
environmental degradation and climate change in the tropics. With
headquarters near Cali, Colombia, CIAT conducts research for development
in tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. www.ciat.cgiar.org.
About The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) is a
not-for-profit organization that facilitates and promotes public/private
partnerships to access, develop, adapt and deliver appropriate
agricultural technologies for sustainable use by smallholder farmers in
Sub-Saharan Africa through innovative partnerships and effective
stewardship along the entire value chain. It is headquartered in
Nairobi, and its mandate covers sub-Saharan Africa. For more
information, visit www.aatf-africa.org.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995,
including statements relating to the company's expectations regarding
its NUE, WUE and ST trait stacks and their impact on yields.
Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results
should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These
risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the company’s
and its partners’ and affiliates’ ability to identify and isolate
desired traits; the company’s and its partners’ ability to develop
commercial products incorporating its traits and complete the regulatory
review process for such products; the company’s compliance with laws and
regulations that impact the company’s business, and changes to such laws
and regulations; the company’s future capital requirements and ability
to satisfy its capital needs; and the other risks set forth in the
company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time
to time, including the risks set forth in the company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017. These forward-looking
statements speak only as of the date hereof, and Arcadia Biosciences,
Inc. disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180508005663/en/
Source: Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.
Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.
Jeff Bergau, +1-312-217-0419
jeff.bergau@arcadiabio.com
