RiceTec launches herbicide-tolerant rice XP117 at the 35th Harvest Opening

RiceTec has just commercially launched its newest hybrid in Brazil: the XP117, developed with Max-Ace^® technology. The new product was officially introduced to producers at the technological showcases of the 35th Rice Harvest Opening, held in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, with the presence of AgroPages.

"The main feature of the XP117 Max-Ace^® is its higher yield potential combined with control and selectivity. It is a genetics tolerant to the ACCase inhibitor herbicide Acert^®," highlights Gustavo Karam, agronomist and business coordinator at RiceTec in Brazil.

According to him, this herbicide targets the main grasses in rice cultivation, such as red rice (Oryza sativa L.) and barnyard grass (Echinochloa), which are resistant to ALS inhibitor herbicides. These plants are considered a barrier to crop yield and can also lead to reduced productivity and quality of the final product.

Karam revealed to AgroPages that the new XP117 Max-Ace^® hybrid has already been cultivated in commercial areas in Rio Grande do Sul during the 2024/25 season. According to the executive, the technology has been "achieving excellent performance in productivity and selectivity."

José Plaza Delestre, cultivation expert and Commercial Director of RiceTec in Mercosur, explains that the development of Max-Ace^® technology involved many years of research to achieve a product with differentiated characteristics, making it an ally for producers in their pursuit of productivity and grain quality.

"RiceTec is recognized for presenting new hybrid technologies to rice producers every year. This year, in addition to the XP117 Max-Ace^®, we will also showcase the XP124 and XP739 Max-Ace^® hybrids at the Harvest Opening's technological exhibits, as well as the XP117 FullPage^®, which is tolerant to herbicides from the imidazolinone (IMI) chemical group," highlights Plaza.

In 2025, the North American multinational will celebrate 25 years of operation in the global and national rice seed markets. "Since our founding, we have maintained our commitment to innovation, providing resilient and high-yielding products that meet the growing needs of rice producers worldwide," emphasizes José Plaza Delestre.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas (USA), RiceTec has been present in Brazil for over two decades and operates Research, Development, and Improvement Centers in the cities of Santa Maria and Capão do Leão, in Rio Grande do Sul. The company also has a Research, Seed Production, and Improvement Center in the Brazilian state of Roraima, as well as commercial operations in Uruguay.

Looking to the future, RiceTec affirms its vision of sustainable agriculture that adds more value for farmers, consumers, and the planet. "Our mission is to promote sustainability in food production through technologies present in rice seeds. In this sense, higher productivity allows for more rice to be produced in the same area with the same amount of inputs, thereby contributing to the eco-efficiency of the crop," concludes José Plaza, RiceTec's executive in Mercosur.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)