Bayer Partners with Biotech Firm to Develop Innovative Hybrid Potato Seeds
Bayer Partners with Solynta to Create Hybrid Potato Seeds for Smallholder Farmers
Bayer has teamed up with Solynta, a Dutch company, to develop innovative potato seed varieties targeted towards the Kenyan and Indian markets.
Through this collaboration, farmers will be able to grow potatoes from true seeds instead of the traditional method of using tubers, which are often fraught with disease, high costs, and storage issues, as noted in a news release. By combining Solynta’s expertise in potato genetics, Bayer aims to distribute these seed varieties to remote farming communities across Kenya and India, ultimately enhancing food security in these regions.
“Hybrid breeding has been a successful strategy in many staple crops, allowing for quicker creation of new varieties possessing beneficial traits like disease resistance,” remarked Solynta’s CEO, Peter Poortinga, in a statement.
This partnership signifies Bayer’s entry into the global potato sector and marks its inaugural collaboration with Solynta, a specialist in developing strong hybrid potato varieties. It coincides with Bayer’s commitment to regenerative agriculture practices.
“Integrating true potato seeds into our product line is a logical extension of our efforts to assist smallholder farmers and provide them with the latest agricultural innovations,” stated Inci Dannenberg, Bayer’s president of global vegetable seeds.
— Rose Palazzolo
Leading Produce Growers Shift to Advanced Agrology Technology
Agrology, a company specializing in technology that measures greenhouse gas emissions from soil and utilizes real-time data to predict weather patterns, has formed a partnership with three prominent produce growers— Bowles Farming Company, Braga Fresh Family Farms, and Taylor Farms..
Each grower is set to implement the Agrology Arbiter System, which will help them monitor the effectiveness of their regenerative practices on soil health, microbial activity, soil carbon levels, and water preservation, according to a news release.
Agrology’s monitoring devices and gas assessment tools will be strategically placed throughout the fields to collect comprehensive data, sending immediate alerts for farmers to act on.
“The future of agriculture rests on prioritizing soil health, and we are thrilled to collaborate with Agrology to collect the necessary data as we move forward in our regenerative journey,” said John McKeon, who is the director of organic integrity and compliance at Taylor Farms.
Agrology’s innovative technology lies at the convergence of precision farming, regenerative agriculture, and hands-on environmental services, enabling a “collaborative and innovative” approach for stakeholders in the sector.
— Rose Palazzolo
Innovative Flags Identify Fecal Contamination in Fresh Produce
Purdue University researchers have created a paper-based biosensor capable of detecting fecal contamination on fresh produce farms with an accuracy of 100%.
The breakthrough technology employs loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and was inspired by advancements made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Purdue’s team successfully adapted this technology to paper devices for rapid agricultural testing with excellent results.
The device resembles a miniature flag and can capture bioaerosol samples from fresh produce fields before undergoing thermal imaging to assess the presence of bacteroidales. The results from field tests have consistently aligned with laboratory findings at 100% accuracy.
“To our knowledge, this represents the first successful demonstration of a portable LAMP testing device used directly on a fresh produce farm,” noted the co-authors in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
The project was spearheaded by Mohit Verma, an associate professor in agricultural and biological engineering. Additionally, Krishi, a startup where Verma serves as chief technology officer, is currently in the process of licensing the technology through Purdue Innovates.
— Nathan Owens
Maria Sanchez completed her Bachelor’s degree in Plant Sciences from the University of California, Davis, in the USA. Her studies focused on plant genetics and biotechnology, with an emphasis on developing disease-resistant crop varieties. Maria has contributed to several research projects aimed at improving crop resilience to climate change and is now pursuing her Master’s degree in Plant Breeding.