NRGene to advance Wyffels Hybrids breeding program through start-to-end genotyping solutions

NRGene (TASE: NRGN), a leading genomics AI company, and Wyffels Hybrids, a U.S. Farm Family owned seed corn company, has announced the signing of a multi-year agreement for start-to-end genotyping services using NRGene’s SNPer™ technology to enhance Wyffels Hybrids’ corn breeding program.

According to the agreement, NRGene will analyze Wyffels’s genetic diversity to design a fully customized SNP set and allow for cost-effective genotyping and imputation. This will enable Wyffels to accelerate their breeding through the application of Genomic Selection, further enhancing their ability to bring premium seed corn to the market.

Corn is one of the world’s most widely produced and consumed cereal crops. Its seed market was estimated by Research and Markets at USD 24.5 billion in 2018, with the United States, the largest producer, accounting for 34% of world production. In addition to its primary use for food, corn is used for animal feed, biofuels and to extract starch, oil and ethanol.

“Collaboration with NRGene and the use of their genotyping technology allows us to accelerate our breeding program and more rapidly deliver state-of-the-art seed corn technologies to American farmers”, said Shane Meis, Wyffels Director of Research.

NRGene’s SNPer™ is a fully customized, all-inclusive genotyping solution. Through NRGene’s unique diversity analysis, an optimized and customized SNP panel is designed for a specific breeding program. In this way, SNPer™ maximizes genetic information with a minimum number of DNA data points and can lower genotyping costs as much as 70% as compared to commonly used genotyping tools.

“NRGene has been leading maize genomics for seven years, executing vast projects in collaboration with both commercial companies and academia. We are excited to collaborate with Wyffels on advancing maize breeding even further. Our goal is to broaden the genetic understanding of Wyffels maize program, providing them with more knowledge in the most efficient way”, said Dr. Gil Ronen, NRGene’s CEO and Co-founder.