News and Trends 29 Apr 2019 Viruses Evolve to Defeat CRISPR-Cas9 in Genetically-Modified Plants Researchers found that viral pathogens can quickly evolve to overcome transgenic cassava plants expressing the bacterial weapon CRISPR-Cas9, which could have major regulatory implications. Geminiviruses are pathogens that kill off crops such as beans, cotton and cassava plants. Past efforts to breed plants that are resistant to infection have not been successful. One potential method […] April 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 19 Apr 2019 This Biotech Fertilizes Crops with Little Microbe Capsules We’re zooming over to France this week. The biotech Kapsera makes capsules of microbes that present a cheaper and more sustainable alternative to traditional fertilizers and insecticides. Mission: To develop biodegradable capsules containing microbes. These treatments could control pests and fertilize crops in a more sustainable way than chemical treatments. Agriculture is facing tough challenges […] April 19, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Feb 2019 French Company to Open Biggest Insect Farm in the World A Series C round of €110M ($125M) — the largest ever for agriculture technology outside of the USA — will fund the construction of the world’s largest automated insect farm by the French company Ynsect. Ynsect is a company that uses insects to provide protein-rich feed for fish farming, pet food, and even the fertilizer industry. […] February 22, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 8 Feb 2019 This Biotech Uses Genomics to Breed Super Peas This week’s biotech, Equi-Nom, is based in Israel. With its genomics and computer modeling technology, the company helps plant producers to breed pulses that contain more protein without any genetic modification. Mission: To boost the protein content in pulses, such as peas, without editing their DNA. Instead, the company speeds up traditional breeding by […] February 8, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 24 Jan 2019 ExxonMobil Recruits Swiss Company to Make Biofuels The Swiss biofuels company Clariant is joining up with US companies ExxonMobil and the Renewable Energy Group to make biodiesel from agricultural waste. The new partnership hopes to combine technology from the Renewable Energy Group and Clariant to produce biodiesel — a biofuel that is a mix of ethanol and fat or cooking greases. Unlike […] January 24, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Sep 2018 Brewing Pheromones for Pest Control Harmful pesticides on your food may be less of a worry in the future, as a Danish biotech company has received a €3M investment to market a safer and more eco-friendly form of agricultural pest control: pheromones. The company, BioPhero, has developed an innovative yeast fermentation method for cheaply producing these pheromones on an industrial […] September 17, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Sep 2018 Novozymes Releases Enzyme That Helps Chickens Better Absorb Food Novozymes has released a new enzyme that breaks down bacterial cell debris in the gut and allows chickens to absorb more nutrients from their food. The Danish industrial biotech giant partnered with the Dutch health and nutrition company DSM to produce the bacterial muramidase enzyme solution, which is called ‘Balancius’. It has an interesting story […] September 14, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Sep 2018 Cassava Plants Gene Edited Using CRISPR to Produce Waxy Starch A team of European researchers applied CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology to engineer cassava plants that produce a modified type of starch, in demand for both cooking and industrial processing. The team also managed to speed up the flowering of the plants by introduction of a gene from Arabidopsis plants, which they hope will allow more […] September 5, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 26 Jul 2018 Plastic Type Key to Eco-Friendly Breakdown by Soil Microbes Swiss research shows that bacteria and fungi in the soil are able to comprehensively break down some types of plastic, but not others. Thin plastic ‘mulch’ films are commonly used by farmers on fields to prevent weeds, but it is often extremely difficult to collect these films after they have been used. “While plastic that […] July 26, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 12 Jul 2018 How Plant Biotechnology Can Give Us Better Food and Medicines From super crops to better medicines, biotechnology from plants could make a big difference in our lives. Here’s how. What have plants ever done for us? Well, a colossal amount of things. Throughout human history, they have fed us, made medicinal compounds, given us clothes, produced oxygen and much more. However, what if there were […] July 12, 2018 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email