March 3, 2010

Cibus receives patent for non-transgenic crop technology

Cibus Global has received a new European patent for its Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS) in the production of a non-transgenic plant that is resistant to herbicides of the phosphonomethylglycine family, particularly glyphosate.

Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide widely used to control weeds without harming crops or the environment.

Glyphosate herbicide-tolerant crops are prevalent in North America, with farmers benefiting from their cost savings and environmental advantages; until now, farmers in Europe have been unable to reap these benefits because the only glyphosate herbicide-tolerant crops were GM-developed using transgenic technologies, said Dr. Peter Beetham, Senior Vice President of Research for Cibus. 

RTDS offers farmers the ability to better control weeds by introducing glyphosate tolerant crops made using the plant's natural processes and without the introduction of foreign genetic material. This gives producers a new non-GM alternative that will enable them to maximise yields from key crops, said Beetham.
 

North American farmers plant 95% of the total soy hectares, 87% of corn hectares, 91% of cotton hectares and 51% of canola hectares with glyphosate-tolerant GM crops. The projected annual aggregate trait value for non-GM herbicide tolerant crops in Europe for Cibus' targeted crops is roughly EUR1.4 billion (US$1.9 billion).

RTDS provides an alternative platform to transgenic, and it can be used to improve yields in drought-afflicted or degraded lands, and provide benefits with no more risk than traditional plant breeding, said Cibus.
 

Cibus Global develops crop traits for the benefits of agriculture, alternative energy and product development.