DUBAI: Advanta Seeds, a Bombay-listed UPL Group company, has announced a partnership with Texas A&M AgriLife Research to develop new seed technology for a number of key cash crops.
The partnership will see the establishment of a new biotech research station dedicated to the breeding of sorghum, tropical and subtropical corn, tomatoes and hot peppers, as well as applying molecular markers to plant breeding in sunflower, canola, wheat and rice, among other crops.
Set to open in the beginning of 2017, the new research station will be located in the city of College Station, Brazos County, Texas, USA.
"This research is important to provide farmers with new products and novel traits and higher yielding hybrids stable across the seasons,” stated Dr Alberto Leon, Global R&D Director of Advanta Seeds.
In choosing Texas A&M to house the biotech research station Advanta cited the research institution’s reputation as “a proven leader in plant breeding as well as sharing a business-friendly environment with their local and state governments”.
“This effort will accelerate and expand our rich history of seed breeding and development to further enhance the profitability and sustainability of growers,” says Ben Adams, Business Director-North America, Advanta Seeds. “We expect new technologies and traits to improve tolerances to drought, pests, insecticides and herbicides as well as increase yields.”
Advanta Seeds is an international leader in the research, development, production, and the sale of high-performance seeds and agricultural solutions.
"We are excited about this agreement with Advanta Seeds because of their outstanding reputation in seed development,” comments Craig Nessler, Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research. “This will also allow our scientists and students to participate in cutting-edge research with a world-class company.”
Advanta Seeds is a world leader in sorghum (grain and forage) and is rapidly expanding its market share for corn, sunflower, canola, rice and vegetables.
With a global office at the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) in the UAE, Advanta Seeds has country head offices in India, USA, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina and Australia, operating in a total of 26 countries with a market presence in more than 60 countries.
Its parent company, UPL has more than 4900 product registrations worldwide and its products are marketed in more than 120 countries, providing the entire spectrum of agriculture solutions, from seeds, crop protection, and plant health to post-harvest solutions, in addition to the design of pre-sowing and post-harvest crop-care technologies.
In the USA, UPL operates through its subsidiary United Phosphorus, Inc. (UPI) that has been a premier supplier of crop protection products and plant technologies designed for the agricultural, professional and aquatics markets in North America.
Texas A&M AgriLife Research is the state’s premier research agency in agriculture, natural resources and the life sciences. A member of The Texas A&M University System, AgriLife Research conducts hundreds of projects spanning many different scientific disciplines aimed at delivering life-sustaining and industry-changing impacts to residents in Texas and throughout the world.
Headquartered in College Station, A&M AgriLife Research operates 13 research centers across the lone star state, including in El Paso, Beaumont, Amarillo, Weslaco, and elsewhere.
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