Kaiima and Beck’s announce collaboration using the EP™ Technology Platform to improve corn hybrid yield

May 8, Kaiima Bio-Agritech Ltd., a genetics and breeding technology company and Beck's, the largest family-owned retail seed company in the United States, announced their agreement to evaluate the integration of Kaiima’s non-GM, EP™ technology platform, into Beck’s proprietary corn breeding program. This new collaboration follows a recently completed three-year project that assessed the EP™ technology’s efficacy in Beck's elite corn germplasm.
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“In three years of extensive trials throughout the Corn Belt, Kaiima’s EP™ technology has proven its ability to create genomic changes resulting in higher yielding hybrids,” said Richard Greubel, CEO of Kaiima. “We are excited to expand our partnership and to bring these benefits to Beck’s fast growing portfolio of hybrids.”
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Developed by Kaiima, the EP™ technology is a breeding tool that enhances plant performance by inducing novel diversity within the genome, using the plant’s own DNA. Kaiima’s U.S. research team located in St. Louis, Mo., and Beck’s breeding team will begin activities in the spring of 2017. The project will capitalize on proven EP™ yield performance enhancements to provide Beck’s customers with high yielding corn hybrids.

“The creation of new genetic diversity within corn is important to everyone throughout the value chain,” said Curtis Wiltse, research manager at Beck’s. “We’re excited to continue evaluating Kaiima’s EP™ technology within our proprietary corn breeding program, giving our corn breeders the opportunity to find higher-yielding genetics faster.”

The EP™ technology works with all major crops and plant species. Kaiima collaborates with seed companies to apply the EP™ technology to their elite germplasm. The technology benefits include increased yield, improved tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses, as well as reduced product development timelines.
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About Beck's
Beck's is a family-owned and operated seed company that serves farmers in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin. According to a recent media survey, Beck's ranks as the sixth largest seed company in the United States and the only one in the top six that is family-owned, making Beck's the largest retail, family-owned seed company in the United States.