DAVIS, Calif.
and ROSARIO,
Argentina
,
March 10, 2020
/PRNewswire/ --
Verdeca
, a joint venture between
Arcadia Biosciences Inc.
(Nasdaq: RKDA) and
Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp
. (NYSE American: BIOX), will be showcasing pre-commercial soybean varieties carrying the drought tolerant HB4
®
trait to more than 150,000 South American growers at Expoagro 2020, being held
March 10-13
in San Nicolas,
Argentina
. The HB4 soybean varieties deliver two layers of value for growers: drought and herbicide tolerance.
The HB4 stack is Verdeca's newest product release from its pipeline of traits developed to benefit soybean producers through quality improvement, stress mitigation and management practices.
At Verdeca's pavilion, growers will be able to inspect field plots of HB4 soybeans, a unique technology which protects crops against drought conditions. More than ten years of field trials in production regions of the northern and southern hemisphere have demonstrated that HB4 soybeans preserve yield when crops are challenged by water and salinity stress.
"HB4 is a novel soybean trait that provides yield stability across diverse environments, delivering a biotech solution beyond the traditional packages, primarily focused on pest control traits," said
Martin Mariani Ventura
, general manager of Verdeca. "This technology provides farmers with an important tool to address challenges associated with climate change."
In addition to drought tolerance, HB4 soybeans also offer resistance to a broad-spectrum herbicide utilized to prevent growth of a wide range of annual and perennial broadleaf weeds and grasses. Field plots at Expoagro compare the effectiveness of the trait-plus-herbicide combination, compared to soybean fields artificially infested with volunteer corn and
Amaranthus
grass weeds.
"We're excited to show farmers first-hand the benefits of our HB4 trait stack at Expoagro," said
Matt Plavan
, president and CEO of
Arcadia Biosciences
. "As the only commercial soybean trait for drought tolerance, we believe HB4 has the potential to significantly improve the performance of soybean cultivation globally."
Federico Trucco
, chief executive officer of
Bioceres Crop Solutions
stated, "This year's event marks our advance beyond technology demonstration in a single material to showcasing our breeding program and more specifically, the pre-commercial varieties that are currently being multiplied in close to 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres). Expoagro brings together an invaluable audience which will help us further validate the attractiveness of our value proposition to farmers and sign-up early adopters for our next cycle of seed multiplication."
The second recruiting round for the HB4 program candidates will take place during the third day of the event, with potentially more than 100,000 acres available for seed multiplication during the next crop season.
Currently, the HB4 trait has regulatory approval in more than 80 percent of the global soybean market, including the
U.S.
,
Brazil
,
Argentina
and, most recently,
Paraguay
. Regulatory submissions are currently under consideration by
China
,
Canada
,
Bolivia
and
Uruguay
. Import approval from
China
is needed for commercial launch in
Argentina
. Expectation to obtain such approval in late 2020 is under review in light of recent developments in
China
.
About Verdeca
Verdeca, a
U.S.
-based joint venture between
Bioceres Crop Solutions
and
Arcadia Biosciences
, was formed in 2012 to deploy next-generation soybean traits in all key production regions, beginning in
South America
and North America. Working in partnership with South American growers, Verdeca aims to provide technologies that help increase crop productivity, making more efficient and sustainable use of land and water resources. For more information visit
www.verdeca.com
.
About
Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.
Arcadia Biosciences
(Nasdaq: RKDA) is a leader in science-based approaches to enhancing the quality and nutritional value of crops and food ingredients. The company's GoodWheat™ branded ingredients deliver health benefits to consumers and enable consumer packaged goods companies to differentiate their brands in the marketplace. Arcadia's agricultural traits are being developed to enable farmers around the world to be more productive and minimize the impact of agriculture on the environment. The company's new GoodHemp seed catalog delivers genetically superior hemp seeds, clones, transplants, flower and extracts, applying the company's proprietary crop innovation technology, ArcaTech, to an emerging crop. For more information, visit
www.arcadiabio.com
.
About
Bioceres Crop Solutions
Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. (NYSE American: BIOX) is a fully integrated provider of crop productivity technologies designed to enable the transition of agriculture towards carbon neutrality. To do this, Bioceres' solutions create economic incentives for farmers and other stakeholders to adopt environmentally friendlier production practices. The company has a unique biotech platform with high-impact, patented technologies for seeds and microbial ag-inputs, as well as next generation crop nutrition and protection solutions. Through its HB4
®
program, the company is bringing digital solutions to support growers' decisions and provide end-to-end traceability for production outputs. For more information, visit
https://investors.biocerescrops.com
.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including HB4's potential to significantly improve the performance of soybean cultivation. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: Arcadia's, Bioceres', Verdeca's and their partners' and affiliates' ability to develop commercial products incorporating their traits, and complete the regulatory review process for such products, including obtaining approval from
China
; Arcadia's and Bioceres' compliance with laws and regulations that impact Verdeca's business, and changes to such laws and regulations; Verdeca's future capital requirements and ability to satisfy its capital needs; and the other risks set forth in Arcadia's and Bioceres' filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission
from time to time, including the risks set forth in Arcadia's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2018
, Bioceres' Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended
June 30, 2019
, and other filings. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and
Arcadia Biosciences, Inc.
and
Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp.
disclaim any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
View original content to download multimedia:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/verdeca-showcases-hb4-drought-tolerant-soybeans-to-growers-and-enrolls-early-adopters-at-expoagro-in-argentina-301020376.html
SOURCE Verdeca;
Arcadia Biosciences
;
Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp.