Dow AgroSciences Exclusively Licenses Crop Enhancement Technology With PBL

Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company , entered into an exclusive commercial license agreement with Plant Bioscience Limited (PBL) for technology that enhances the root systems of plants with important implications for crop improvement.

The technology was developed by Dr. Liam Dolan and his colleagues at the John Innes Centre, an institute of the BBSRC in the Norwich Research Park. The team cloned and characterized genes which may play vital roles in anchorage, water use, and nutrient uptake in plants. The genes are highly conserved among land plants, and the technology has already been shown to be effective in enhancing root systems in transgenic plants of major crops around the world.

"Dow AgroSciences is excited to be collaborating with one of the most respected organizations in the biotechnology industry," said Dan Kittle, Ph.D., Vice President for R&D at Dow AgroSciences. "By combining our expertise in biotech crops and PBLs innovative technology from JIC, we have the opportunity to enhance a plants ability to survive stress, increase nutrient utilization, and provide yield stability in challenging years or in parts of the world where there are less than favorable growing conditions."

The technology could bring improved crop varieties to the agricultural market and help open new markets. "We are delighted to enter this partnership with Dow AgroSciences," said Dr. Jan Chojecki, Managing Director of PBL. "This technology has real potential to benefit agriculture and address global challenges of food production, and Dow AgroSciences acknowledged strength in developing and commercializing new crop products is the key to achieving this important goal."

The commercial license covers a range of important agricultural crops. The research was developed at the John Innes Centre by Dr. Dolan with BBSRC funding. "Our research aims to answer key questions in biology and to provide solutions to important problems in food security, energy production, promoting health and combating disease," said Professor Dale Sanders, Director of the John Innes Centre. "The technology was born out of basic research in nutrient uptake by plants and demonstrates the importance to agriculture of answering fundamental questions."

Plant Bioscience Limited (PBL) is a technology management company specializing in plant, food and microbial science, owned by The John Innes Centre, The Sainsbury Laboratory and The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). As well as managing innovations from John Innes Centre, PBL also handles technologies from public sector research organizations around the world.