Agricultural biotech company BioLumic has launched light-activated commercial seed traits for inbred corn, AgNewsWire reported.
The US and New Zealand-based company launched its Trait Activation System at Gro Alliance’s US seed production facility in Cuba City, Wisconsin, the 6 March report said.
BioLumic’s light-based Genetic Expression Trait (xTrait) technology uses ultraviolet (UV) light to regulate genetic expression, without genetic modification.
“This [is] a major step forward for seed companies seeking a new category of traits – traits that enhance natural genetic expression rather than altering the genome,” BioLumic CEO Steve Sibulkin said.
“We’re delivering a … new way to program crop traits and accelerate breeding cycles.”
Following third-party field validation and demonstration of trans-generational trait inheritance to hybrid progeny, BioLumic light-activated traits were now being integrated into a portfolio of partner inbred corn lines, the report said.
Seed companies can license BioLumic Genetic Expression Traits that are matched to their genetics and integrated into parent lines.
Multiple seed companies had licensed the technology, with commercial hybrid traits anticipated for the 2026 planting season, AgNewsWire wrote.
Although the first commercial launch involved corn, the company had plans to expand the xTrait Platform to rice, rye grass and soyabeans through funded partnerships, the report said.
