Arcadia Biosciences and Vilmorin collaborate to develop and market NUE wheat

Nov 20 2009

Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, and Vilmorin, the world’s fourth-largest seed company and the global leader in wheat genetics and seed, today announced that they have reached an agreement for the development and commercialization of Nitrogen Use Efficient (NUE) wheat. Under the terms of the agreement, Vilmorin receives privileged global rights to the use of Arcadia’s NUE technology in wheat. Financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

The combination of Arcadia’s NUE technology and Vilmorin’s genetic resources enables the development of high-yielding wheat that could require about half the amount of nitrogen fertilizer as conventional crops, offering economic benefits to growers and a measurable positive impact on the environment.

With more than 220 million hectares cultivated globally, wheat is the world’s largest cultivated crop. It’s also the heaviest user of nitrogen fertilizer with 20 million tons applied annually, accounting for approximately 20 percent of total global nitrogen fertilizer use.

“Wheat is the largest food crop in the world and is a critically important part of our global food supply. By reducing the need for nitrogen fertilizer, NUE wheat offers a significant economic and environmental opportunity,” said Eric Rey, president and CEO of Arcadia. “Vilmorin is the clear global leader in wheat genetics and seed, and in our view there is no better partner in the world to develop and commercialize NUE wheat than Vilmorin. This agreement builds upon Arcadia’s existing NUE wheat research agreement with Australian partners CSIRO and ACPFG.”

“This long term collaboration is a fundamental step for the reinforcement of the worldwide strategy of Vilmorin in wheat and will allow the consolidation of its leader expertise on this crop species. As demonstrated by this agreement, Vilmorin is committed to expanding its European leadership in wheat. Wheat is among the most important cereal crops worldwide. Improvements in both quality and productivity are critical to the ongoing protection of the global food supply.” said Adrian Huige, CEO of Vilmorin.

Source: Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.