AbacusBio and Bayer collaborate, further accelerating Bayer's global crop breeding programs

AbacusBio and Bayer have announced a deal in the area of predictive plant breeding. Under this agreement, Bayer will incorporate AbacusBio’s leading expertise in trait prioritisation and valuation to advance products that anticipate grower and market needs. Through computational integration of bioeconomic, trait preference and sociodemographic data, AbacusBio technology can improve predictions that influence trait improvement priorities, market segmentation and economic potential.

“Bayer’s global leadership in plant breeding was built on our extensive germplasm library and a data-centric mindset in R&D decision making,” said Dr. Mike Graham, head of plant breeding for Bayer’s Crop Science division. “Our new partnership with AbacusBio is the latest example of how we advance our pipeline using the industry’s best genetics, integrated data science and partnerships to deliver the best-in-class products our customers have come to expect.”

“We anticipate we will be able to accelerate our annual rate of genetic gain through AbacusBio’s platform, which will enable more effective use of the detailed data we collect on a very broad range of candidate traits,” said Dr. Graham.

“One of the key factors that underpins the success of genetic improvement programs is balancing genetic gain across a combination of traits to meet production, quality and sustainability needs in the market,” AbacusBio Partner and Project Lead Dr. Tim Byrne says.

“This is why we’ll be working directly with scientists, commercial growers, seed retailers, and other stakeholders across the supply chain. We want to bring their knowledge and experience with relevant traits to the fore, in building selection indexes for Bayer.”

The economic and survey outcomes, and the associated indexes, will be integrated into and used in concert with Bayer’s existing predictive selection and advancement engine.

“This is an exciting project for us, where we can contribute to Bayer’s track record of generating value for agriculture and society through their best-in-class seed products,” says Dr. Tim Byrne.