Viterra will put up its canola lines to test new genetics for higher yield and tolerance of environmental stress developed by an Israel biotech firm.
Evogene, based in Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv, on Wednesday announced its collaboration with Regina-based Viterra, Canada’s biggest grain company.
Environmental, or “abiotic,” stress refers to conditions such as drought, heat or extreme cold that harm plants or limit their productivity. Evogene’s genetics, developed through its “Athlete” gene discovery platform and tested in model plants, showed improved yield under both normal and stressful conditions, the companies said.
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Viterra will evaluate the effect of these genes in its proprietary canolas in field trials in Western Canada, which it called “the most important canola growing region in the world.”
Development and testing on Viterra’s canola varieties will start this spring and run over the next several years, the companies said. Financial terms of this agreement weren’t disclosed.
The companies said they also plan to sign a co-operation and project funding agreement with the Canada-Israel Industrial Research and Development Foundation (CIIRDF), in which the foundation will provide financial support for the project.
Evogene CEO Ofer Haviv said in the release that the company has been working with ag biotech firms around the world to introduce its genes in major field crops, and recently announced what it said were successful third-year field trial results for Evo133, one of its candidate genes.
