Kindgston, Ontario, Canada and
Alvin, Texas
June 5, 2008
RiceTec Inc. and
Performance Plants Inc. (PPI) today announce an agreement to
develop drought-tolerant rice
using Performance Plants' Yield Protection Technology® (YPT®).
YPT(TM) helps protect plants against the damaging effects of
drought. A unique feature of this patented technology is that it
uses a plant's own genes to enhance its natural response
mechanism to drought. YPT(R) makes plants able to tolerate by
dry conditions better and recover faster when watered. Extensive
field testing by PPI in other crops and ornamental species
consistently shows up to 25% seed yield increases under drought
conditions.
"The partnership with PPI will allow us to explore, evaluate and
hopefully yet further improve the stability of hybrid
performance in drought/stressed conditions, giving RiceTec
Hybrid Seed another positive attribute that means quality,
high-yielding performance while at the same time, minimizing
production risk for our customers," said John Nelsen, RiceTec
President and CEO.
Under the terms of the agreement, RiceTec will develop YPT® rice
lines and evaluate their performance under dry land conditions
in their proprietary, elite germplasm.
"We are very pleased to be working with RiceTec on this research
project," said Peter Matthewman, President, PPI. "It reaffirms
the effectiveness of our technology and its ability to help
crops flourish under less than ideal growing conditions."
According to Matthewman, the company has previously licensed
YPT® for application in corn, soybean, turfgrass and
ornamentals.
RiceTec Inc. is an integrated rice company specializing in
the breeding, development, production and marketing of
high-value rice products. Headquartered in Alvin, Texas, the
company operates the primary research centre for RiceTec AG, an
international rice technology venture. RiceTec Inc. is the first
company to commercialize hybrid rice seed in the United States.
Performance Plants Inc. is a global leader in agricultural and
biofuel technology development. The company's patented
technologies weatherproof food and biofuel crops through periods
of drought and heat stress resulting in a more abundant,
consistent and profitable harvest for farmers and feedstock
suppliers. The company has licensed its breakthrough
technologies to some of the world's leading seed companies such
as Syngenta, Stine and Scotts Miracle Gro. The company is
privately held with laboratory and research facilities in
Ontario and Saskatchewan, Canada.
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