Lavie Bio Announces Commercial Expansion of Yalos™ to Winter Wheat

Rhea-AI Summary

Lavie Bio, a subsidiary of Evogene (Nasdaq: EVGN), announced the commercial expansion of its bio-inoculant product, Yalos™, to winter wheat. Following successful trials, Yalos™ will be available to winter wheat growers across the US for the 2024-2025 season. This expansion doubles the potential market for Yalos™, making it accessible to the substantial winter wheat market, which has an estimated annual value of $5-$10 billion. The trials showed improved crop attributes such as early vigor, biomass, root and shoot development, and nutrient availability. Lavie Bio aims to enhance farm productivity and sustainability with Yalos™ and plans further expansions to other crops like soybean and canola, targeting a commercial launch in 2025.

Positive

• Commercial expansion of Yalos™ to winter wheat doubles its potential market.
• Successful trials demonstrated improved crop attributes including early vigor, biomass, and nutrient availability.
• The winter wheat market holds an estimated annual value of $5-$10 billion.
• Plans for further expansion to soybean and canola with a commercial launch expected in 2025.

Negative

• None.

Insights

Agricultural Market Analyst

Lavie Bio's expansion of Yalos™ to the winter wheat market stands to significantly impact the company’s market position. Winter wheat constitutes a major crop in North America, with an annual market value between $5-$10 billion. The shift from focusing solely on spring wheat, durum and barley to incorporating winter wheat doubles the potential market for Yalos™. The successful trials showing enhanced growth and nutrient absorption mechanisms could position Yalos™ as a competitive product in the market.

This strategic move will likely bolster Lavie Bio's revenue streams by capturing a larger share of a substantial market. The timing is also important considering the global emphasis on sustainable agriculture practices, which aligns with the benefits that bio-inoculants like Yalos™ offer. However, the competitive landscape for agricultural products is rigorous, with established players and products. The long-term success will depend on market penetration and the sustained efficacy of Yalos™ in varied farming environments.

Investors should watch the initial sales performance closely in the 2024-2025 season and assess feedback from early adopters, as it will provide valuable insights into market acceptance and growth potential for Lavie Bio.

Financial Analyst

From a financial perspective, this announcement is promising for Lavie Bio and its parent company, Evogene Ltd. The bio-inoculant market is growing, with an increase in demand for sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural solutions. By entering the winter wheat market, Lavie Bio is potentially accessing a much larger revenue base, given the estimated market value of $5-$10 billion annually.

Should Yalos™ achieve substantial market penetration, it could translate into significant revenue growth for Lavie Bio. Furthermore, the successful trials reported indicate strong product efficacy, which might help in driving customer adoption. The projected expansion into soybean and canola—both substantial markets—adds another layer of growth potential for the company.

However, investors should also consider the potential expenses related to scaling production, marketing and distribution efforts. The effectiveness of Lavie Bio's market strategy and their ability to manage costs while scaling will be critical factors in determining the overall financial impact of this expansion.

Lavie Bio successfully completed testing of Yalos™ for winter wheat and will commence sales across the US for the 2024-2025 season

REHOVOT, Israel, July 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lavie Bio Ltd., a leading ag-biologicals company and a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN), is pleased to announce the commercial expansion of its bio-inoculant product, Yalos™, to winter wheat, following successful trials. This expansion effectively doubles the potential market for Yalos™ compared to markets in which Lavie Bio already operates. Winter wheat growers across the US will have access to Yalos™ for the upcoming 2024-2025 season.

Winter wheat is one of the crucial crops in North America and globally, significantly contributing to the agricultural economy and food supply. The US is expected to produce about 1.28 billion bushels in 2024[1], with a market value, according to Lavie Bio's estimation, between $5-$10 billion annually. Introducing Yalos™ to this market offers substantial potential to capture market share by enhancing crop productivity and sustainability. To date, Lavie Bio has focused on the spring wheat market, along with durum and barley, which together form a smaller market compared to winter wheat.

During the successful field trials, Yalos™ has demonstrated enhanced early vigor, biomass, root and shoot development, nutrient availability, and feed quality in winter wheat. Yalos™ aims to reduce crop abandonment rates and increase farm productivity through advanced biological technologies.

In addition, Lavie Bio is expecting to expand Yalos™ into other key crops, such as soybean and canola, with ongoing field trials in North America and an expected commercial launch in 2025. The US soybean market size is estimated by Lavie Bio at approximately $56.2 billion in 2024.

"We are thrilled to offer Yalos™ to winter wheat growers," said Amit Noam, CEO of Lavie Bio. "Yalos™ addresses key growth challenges and enhances plant health and yield. Our strategy consistently brings new innovative ag-biological products to the market, while expanding existing products to more crops and regions. This expansion is part of our plan for Yalos™ to become a leading solution for growers in all major field crops, reinforcing our commitment to advancing agricultural productivity and sustainability on a global scale."

[1] https://www.nass.usda.gov/Newsroom/2024/05-10-2024.php

About Lavie Bio Ltd.

Lavie Bio, a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd., aims to improve food quality, sustainability, and agriculture productivity through the introduction of microbiome-based ag-biological products. Lavie Bio utilizes a proprietary computational predictive platform, the BDD platform, powered by Evogene's proprietary MicroBoost AI tech-engine, harnessing the power of big data, artificial intelligence, and advanced informatics, for the discovery, optimization and development of bio-stimulant and bio-pesticide products.

For more information, please visit www.lavie-bio.com

About Evogene Ltd.

Evogene (Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN) is a computational biology company aiming to revolutionize the development of life-science based products by utilizing cutting edge technologies to increase probability of success while reducing development time and cost. Evogene established three unique technological engines – MicroBoost AI, ChemPass AI and GeneRator AI – leveraging Big Data and Artificial Intelligence and incorporating deep multidisciplinary understanding in life sciences. Each technological engine is focused on the discovery and development of products based on one of the following core components: microbes (MicroBoost AI), small molecules (ChemPass AI), and genetic elements (GeneRator AI). Evogene uses its technological engines to develop products through subsidiaries and with strategic partners. Currently, Evogene's main subsidiaries utilize the technological engines to develop human microbiome-based therapeutics by Biomica Ltd., ag-chemicals by AgPlenus Ltd. and ag-biologicals by Lavie Bio Ltd.

For more information, please visit: www.evogene.com 

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" relating to future events. These statements may be identified by words such as "may", "could", "expects", "hopes" "intends", "anticipates", "plans", "believes", "scheduled", "estimates", "demonstrates" or words of similar meaning. For example, Evogene and its subsidiaries are using forward-looking statement in this press release when it discusses the ability of Yalos™ potential to capture market share of winter wheat, Yalos™ ability to reduce crop abandonment rates and increase farm productivity, the expansion of Yalos™ into other key crops, such as soybean and canola, Lavie Bio's entrance into new markets for biologicals, including Brazil and Europe. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions, describe opinions about future events, involve certain risks and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance. Therefore, actual future results, performance or achievements of Evogene and its subsidiaries may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Evogene and its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the current war between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and any worsening of the situation in Israel such as further mobilizations or escalation in the northern border of Israel,  and those risk factors contained in Evogene's reports filed with the applicable securities authority. In addition, Evogene and its subsidiaries rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct certain activities, such as their field-trials and pre-clinical studies, and if these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, comply with regulatory requirements or meet expected deadlines, Evogene and its subsidiaries may experience significant delays in the conduct of their activities. Evogene and its subsidiaries disclaim any obligation or commitment to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments or changes in expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions. 

Investor Relations Contact:
Rachel Pomerantz Gerber I Head of Investor Relations at Evogene
rachel.pomerantz@evogene.com I Tel: +972-8-9311901 

 

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1947468/Evogene.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/945133/lavie_bio_Logo.jpg

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lavie-bio-announces-commercial-expansion-of-yalos-to-winter-wheat-302187839.html

SOURCE Lavie Bio

FAQ

What is the significance of Lavie Bio's expansion of Yalos™ to winter wheat?

The expansion of Yalos™ to winter wheat doubles its market potential and targets a crop with an estimated annual value of $5-$10 billion.

When will Yalos™ be available for winter wheat growers in the US?

Yalos™ will be available for winter wheat growers in the US for the 2024-2025 season.

What improvements were observed in winter wheat during the Yalos™ trials?

The trials showed enhancements in early vigor, biomass, root and shoot development, and nutrient availability.

What is the potential market value of winter wheat in the US?

The US winter wheat market is estimated to have an annual value between $5-$10 billion.

What other crops does Lavie Bio plan to expand Yalos™ to?

Lavie Bio plans to expand Yalos™ to soybean and canola, with a commercial launch expected in 2025.