Key Takeaways
- Innovative Technology: BioLumic uses light to activate genetic expression in seeds, enhancing traits without genetic modification.
- Significant Field Trial Results: 2023 trials showed over 7.3% yield gain in inbred corn lines, with targeted double-digit gains this year.
- Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with major seed companies like Beck’s Hybrids and Peterson Farms Seed to enhance corn productivity.
- Commercialization Plans: BioLumic plans to launch light-treated seeds for inbred and hybrid corn by the 2025 planting season.
- Expansion into Soybeans: Initial trials for soybean parent lines are underway, broadening the impact of BioLumic’s technology.
Overview
BioLumic, the only company in the world using light to treat seeds and activate genetic expression for new crop traits, has achieved a significant breakthrough in enhancing inbred corn lines. These genetically pure parent seeds are essential for producing high-performing hybrid seeds, which are preferred by most farmers for their vigor and yield potential.
Following successful performance milestones in 2023 field trials, BioLumic is partnering with leading seed companies such as Beck’s Hybrids, Peterson Corn Genetics, Peterson Farms Seed, Breeder Direct, and others. The goal is to apply BioLumic’s Genetic Expression Trait™ light-activated technology across various inbred and hybrid corn lines to boost productivity. The inbred trials specifically focus on improving germination, emergence, seedling vigor, yield, and hybrid seed quality—key challenges in inbred seed corn breeding and production.
Technology and Impact
BioLumic’s innovative technology uses ultraviolet (UV) light signaling to rapidly activate natural genetic expression in plants, enhancing yield, quality, and plant defense traits without genetic modification or chemical additives. The company is moving towards commercializing this technology for inbred and hybrid corn cultivars, with plans to make light-treated seeds available to farmers for the 2025 planting season.
Steve Sibulkin, BioLumic CEO, highlighted the technology’s transformative potential: “By activating Genetic Expression Traits in corn parent lines and showing the ability to lock in those traits to hybrid corn progeny without any ensuing treatments, our UV light technology is rewriting the playbook for seed production. It eliminates years of trait identification and breeding work for driving yield, quality, and plant health without the multi-year regulatory process associated with genetic modification.”
Addressing Inbreeding Challenges
U.S. field corn production primarily relies on hybrid cultivars bred from crossing genetically pure inbred seed lines to achieve specific traits. However, inbreeding depression can lead to issues such as reduced germination, poor seedling emergence and vigor, and increased susceptibility to environmental stressors and nutrient deficiencies. These problems often result in reduced yields and poor hybrid seed quality during the seed production process.
BioLumic’s light treatments for inbred seeds are designed to mitigate inbreeding depression. In 2023 trials, treated inbred corn lines with the stand establishment and yield trait package demonstrated over a 7.3% yield gain compared to standard practices, with double-digit yield gains targeted this year. These improvements in inbred uniformity and yield were driven by enhanced early-season germination and increased seedling vigor, including an average 16% increase in root biomass.
BioLumic’s Genetic Expression Traits can also be stacked together as trait packages to target multiple traits, such as improved stand establishment, yield, and composition (e.g., lipid content).
Strategic Partnerships and Future Plans
Marc Neuman, Director of Sales and Product Development at Breeder Direct, emphasized the partnership’s potential: “Through our partnership with BioLumic, we are integrating this unique technology into our hybrid and inbred corn lines, evaluating BioLumic’s trait performance on some of our most promising germplasm this season. Our mission is to deliver elite genetics that give our seed company clients improved margin opportunities. BioLumic’s ability to improve the yield potential of germplasm that is already outstanding creates a big opportunity for us and independent seed companies.”
BioLumic is set to commercialize Genetic Expression Traits for both inbred and hybrid corn in partnership with Gro Alliance in Q1 2025. The company is actively collaborating with genetics providers to develop new traits for their cultivars. Additionally, BioLumic is advancing trait development for soybean parent lines, with initial trials commencing this year.
