PlantResponse Biotech announces license agreement with the University of Tübingen for trait technology

PlantResponse™ Biotech announced a licensing agreement has been signed with the University of Tübingen in Germany for trait technology that confers enhanced plant innate immunity to fungal infections. Researchers at the University of Tübingen have developed and patented two trait events that were sourced from Arabidopsis genes that, when transferred to crops, enhanced the plant’s own immune system to combat the fungal diseases Sclerotinia and Botrytis. PlantResponse Biotech has acquired the exclusive, global license to commercialize these traits, as well as extracts derived from the technology that could be applied to the crop in a foliar application.

PlantResponse Biotech CEO Tom Snipes expressed, “We are excited to engage with the University of Tübingen to bring science-based solutions to the challenges crop producers face. This technology holds the potential to allow crops to resist disease pressure and enhance crop productivity in a new way.”
 

Trait technologies are a critical advancement in agriculture, but most efforts to date have been focused on herbicide tolerance and insect control. This unique trait will provide growers and PlantResponse Biotech commercial partners with a novel tool and a unique mode of action to enable more effective management of fungicide resistance and increased product efficacy via Integrated Pest Management  best practices.

“Development of new trait technologies is important for agriculture to keep up with a changing world,” says Snipes.“ PlantResponse Biotech has a progressive and science-based approach to plant innate immunity and we believe this partnership will lead to improvements in crop health and harvest. Our focus will be on arable crops such as corn, soybeans and canola.”

PlantResponse Biotech is developing a robust portfolio of biological products to enhance plant innate immunity, including foliar applications of natural extracts, and with this license, will expand it to include trait technologies.

Rolf Hecker, Head of the Technology Transfer Office of the University of Tübingen stated, “We are pleased that PlantResponse is commercially developing this promising technology for fungal resistance in plants.  They are an excellent partner for innovative products to combat stress in plants to secure the harvest.”