DuPont and IPP/CAAS collaborate on insect control and yield increase

DuPont business Pioneer Hi-Bred has entered into a multi-year, exclusive research collaboration with the Institute of Plant Protection of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IPP/CAAS) to improve in-plant insect control to help increase yield in important crops, reports Trading Markets.com. Under the agreement, Pioneer will collaborate with IPP/CAAS to identify novel genes to develop and commercialize in next-generation seed products. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

IPP/CAAS and Pioneer researchers will use gene shuffling, molecular breeding and other proprietary trait enhancement tools to further develop gene leads discovered through microbial screening, molecular biology, and genomics that protect crops from yield losses due to destructive insect pests. The collaborative effort will utilize an accelerated trait integration process to quickly incorporate traits into high yielding products to reduce product introduction timelines.