Data from both greenhouse and field trials show that the new generation of products demonstrates enhanced tolerance levels to CLEARFIELD herbicides. Additionally, the new and improved CLEARFIELD traits will enable canola breeders to develop high yielding hybrids more quickly with greater efficiencies.
Alyson Emanuel, BASF director, global strategic marketing herbicides, said, “We are very pleased with the success of the next generation of CLEARFIELD products. BASF worked with Cibus to develop seeds using Cibus’ RTDS technology to target a specific trait not previously achieved with other technologies and the results have been outstanding. As a result of the development of this new proprietary herbicide tolerant trait using the RTDS process, seed companies will be able to put this unique trait into hybrids more efficiently, leading to increased on-farm yields.”
Production improvements are beneficial for both farmers and seed company producers, and this novel development will enable a more cost effective hybrid development program to provide farmers with higher yielding, superior performing hybrids for the CLEARFIELD production system in oilseed rape / canola. BASF anticipates commercializing the new trait as early as 2013.
Cibus’ proprietary gene conversion technology, RTDS ,enables trait development that is quicker to market with less regulatory expense. RTDS technology is a non-transgenic approach for providing plant improvements as compared to classical genetic transformation. BASF’s flagship brand in herbicide tolerance weed control, the CLEARFIELD production system, matches agronomically advanced seed varieties with custom-designed imidazolinone herbicides that provide extended grass and broadleaf weed control to the farmer.
“This innovative new technology adds further confirmation that valuable traits can be developed in plants without the insertion of foreign DNA into plants. This is a milestone development for Cibus and BASF,” said Cibus chairman Stephen Evans-Freke. “RTDS technology has broad applications to develop traits in many different types of plant species. The RTDS technology is very precise, allowing companies such as BASF to bring their improved products or traits to market quicker and at lower costs compared to other technologies. Cibus is committed to developing other non-transgenic traits for agriculture.”
