Devgen has announced a research collaboration with Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., a subsidiary of DuPont to develop crop varieties with increased resistance to plant pests.

Under the agreement, Devgen will use its patented technology to identify genes that could be used to control nematode pests in soybean, corn and other crops. Pioneer will use the genes in its research programs to create products that increase yield and enhance value for customers.

Nematodes are a significant pest in soybeans, and will be the primary focus.

Nematode infestation of crops severely impacts the health of the plants, reducing yield (measured in bu/acres) and grain quality. Improved pest resistance in crops is a key initiative in the Pioneer research product pipeline. Leveraging its worldwide network of research centers, Pioneer incorporates a range of scientific and agronomic approaches to pest resistant crop varieties with strong yield potential.

“Our farmer customers will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this collaboration,” said Dennis Byron, Pioneer vice president for Crop Development. “The combination of Devgen’s technologies, Pioneer’s superior germplasm and our established genomics programs will lead to crop varieties with higher yields and improved resistance to pests.”

“This collaboration provides Pioneer researchers with novel technologies to discover new traits for pest control purposes,” said Thierry Bogaert, Devgen’s CEO. “We are pleased to be partners in this exciting, innovative and environmentally friendly solution to pest control.”

Devgen is a leader in the development of in-vivo pest and disease control and drug discovery based on the industrialized use of model organisms. This technology base is successfully utilized in agrochemical and plant based pest control applications. Devgen enables the rapid prioritization and validation of pesticide targets, the identification of a pesticide’s mode-of-action and the development of chemical and plant based control of plant pests and diseases. Devgen was founded in 1997 and employs 90 people with its headquarters in Ghent, Belgium. To date, the company has generated over € 70 million in equity and revenue-based transactions.