All blog posts
GM plant virus repels insect pests
Researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Virginia in the U.S. and from Belgium’s Catholic University have developed a GM variety of tobacco mosaic virus that they say protects fruits, vegetables and most other broad-leafed plants from attack by insects. Tobacco mosaic virus normally attacks plants, but the GM... »
Why no one is growing GM wheat
This article sums up nicely why no one is growing any GM wheat (the food industry is wary of consumer reaction) and one possible solution for companies interested in bringing something like this to market (try developing traits enhance nutrition or offer some other consumer appeal in order to overcome market opposition.) Could this solution... »
Landec/Monsanto announce two deals
Landec Corp. said Monday it entered into two new agreements with Monsanto Co. potentially valued at more than $70 million. Landec sold its direct marketing and sales seed business, Fielder’s Choice Direct, to American Seeds Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Monsanto, for $50 million in cash with a potential additional earn-out amount of up... »
Ag-biotech startup gets close, but not too close, to Monsanto
A Research Triangle Park (N.C.) startup biotechnology company, Athenix, has grown to 45 employees and has raised a total of $33.5 million in venture capital, and they are moving their headquarters to accommodate that growth, according to an article by Amanda Jones Hoyle, writing in this week’s Triangle Business Journal. Athenix develops products and technologies... »
EU to seek approval for BASF biotech potato
The EU will ask its 25 members to allow cultivation of a genetically modified potato owned by BASF, according to this article that appears on Checkbiotech. The Amflora potato, modified to increase its starch content, would be used for industrial purposes such as stiffening paper. The European Commission, the EU’s regulator, will ask national governments... »
Pioneer to sell glyphosate-tolerant soybean
Pioneer Hi-Bred International announced that it’s on track to commercialize by 2009 a biotech soybean product that will compete with the Roundup Ready trait sold by Monsanto, according to this St. Louis Post-Dispatch article appearing on Checkbiotech. The company is seeking permission to sell soybean seeds genetically modified to tolerate glyphosate herbicide, which Monsanto sells... »
Monsanto begins S.D. expansion
Monsanto is hosting a groundbreaking Monday for its $2 million soybean breeding and research center in Harrisburg, S.D, according to this article in the St. Louis Business Journal. The company announced plans for the 17,500-square-foot facility in early October, according to the article. The new building will be constructed adjacent to Monsanto’s existing Harrisburg corn... »
Syngenta: Room to grow, says WSJ
Syngenta bets that if it builds the right genetically modified seeds, profits will come — and some investors like its chances, says the writer of this WSJ article (sub. reqd.). It offers a cheaper way into the booming $56 billion agricultural-chemical industry than its biggest U.S. rival, Monsanto Co. Corn prices have risen 66 percent... »
Monsanto: giant of the $6.15bn GM market
More than 90 percent of global biotech acreage is planted with Monsanto seed, according to this Financial Times report that appears on MSNBC. Other interesting bits from the article: The global market for GM seeds and traits is growing at 10 percent a year. This market, which is primarily made up of soybean, cotton, canola (oilseed rape)... »
GM crop breakthrough threat to Monsanto
A San Diego company will on Thursday unveil a technology that they say can deliver the benefits of genetic modification without inserting foreign genes into a crop in move that could transform the multibillion dollar agricultural biotech market, according to this Financial Times article on MSNBC.com. Grab from the article: Cibus, which has been funded quietly... »
