Yield10 Bioscience Reports that Proprietary Varieties of Winter Camelina Show Tolerance to Commonly Used Herbicides in First Field Tests
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Insights
The introduction of herbicide-tolerant (HT) and stacked herbicide-tolerant traits in Camelina by Yield10 Bioscience represents a significant advancement in crop biotechnology. This development is particularly relevant as it addresses the challenge of weed management, which is a major concern for farmers. The HT traits allow Camelina to survive applications of glufosinate, a broad-spectrum herbicide, thereby facilitating weed control without harming the crop. The stacked HT traits offer additional advantages by providing tolerance to residual Group 2 herbicides in the soil, which are commonly used in crop rotations.
From an agricultural biotechnology perspective, the success of these field tests is promising, as it may lead to increased adoption of Camelina, especially considering the crop's potential for biofuel and omega-3 oil production. The ability to integrate Camelina into existing crop rotations without the risk of damage from residual herbicides could significantly enhance the crop's value proposition to farmers. Moreover, the regulatory approval by USDA-APHIS for planting and breeding these varieties in the U.S. is a critical step towards commercialization, potentially leading to a broader market impact as these traits help differentiate Yield10's Camelina from conventional varieties.
The reported progress by Yield10 Bioscience in developing herbicide-tolerant Camelina varieties could have a notable impact on the company's market position. The ability to offer differentiated products that enable easier integration into crop rotations can open up new markets for the company, particularly in the biofuel and omega-3 oil sectors. As these industries continue to grow, driven by demand for renewable energy sources and sustainable feed ingredients, Yield10's innovations could position them as a key player in the supply chain.
Investors should monitor Yield10's progress towards the commercialization of these Camelina varieties, as successful development and subsequent adoption by growers could lead to increased revenue streams for the company. The pending application with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to add Camelina to a glufosinate label is also a critical factor, as approval would further enhance the crop's usability and appeal to farmers, potentially impacting Yield10's stock valuation positively.
Yield10's work on herbicide-tolerant Camelina aligns with broader trends in sustainable agriculture. The development of crops that can be cultivated with reduced chemical inputs is crucial for environmental sustainability. HT and stacked HT Camelina could reduce the need for multiple herbicide applications, decreasing the chemical load on the environment. Furthermore, the potential for Camelina to be used as a biofuel feedstock aligns with global efforts to reduce carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.
Long-term, the adoption of these varieties could benefit the agricultural sector by providing farmers with more tools to manage weeds effectively while potentially reducing the environmental footprint of their operations. The use of Camelina as a rotation crop may also improve soil health and biodiversity, contributing to the resilience of farming systems. Stakeholders in the sustainable agriculture space will likely watch Yield10's developments closely, as they could set a precedent for the integration of biotechnological advances into ecological farming practices.
-Herbicide tolerance is critical to planting the Camelina crop on large acreage for the biofuel and omega-3 oil markets
WOBURN, Mass., Feb. 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN) (“Yield10” or the “Company”), an agricultural bioscience company, today reported that its proprietary varieties of winter Camelina sativa (“Camelina”) in development responded as expected to herbicides in the first field tests conducted in the United States. Yield10 tested winter Camelina engineered with tolerance to glufosinate (“HT”), an herbicide widely used to manage weeds and protect yields in crop rotations in North America, as well as Camelina with stacked glufosinate and Group 2 tolerance (“Stacked HT”), to provide tolerance to Group 2 herbicide residues in soil persisting from use on prior crops. Yield10 believes that HT and Stacked HT traits in Camelina are critical to enabling grower adoption of the crop and planting on large acreage to produce feedstocks for biofuel and omega-3 oil for the aquafeed and nutrition markets. Yield10 has previously reported herbicide tolerance in spring Camelina, where the Company has selected lead and back-up commercial-quality lines for development.
In the fall of 2023, Yield10 researchers initiated the first field tests of candidate winter Camelina deployed with stacked HT traits intended to provide the plants with tolerance to the application of glufosinate, an over-the-top broadleaf herbicide, as well as tolerance to soil residues of Group 2 herbicides, specifically including tolerance to both imidazolinones (“IMI”) and sulfonylureas (“SU”). Group 2 herbicides are commonly used to manage weeds in cereal and other crop rotations and can persist in the soil for months following use. Prior to planting, the test fields were pretreated with Group 2 herbicides (two weeks prior to planting) to generate plots with soil residues of either IMI or SU herbicides. The winter stacked HT Camelina and control Camelina without HT were subsequently planted. Preliminary interim results of these field tests indicated that Yield10’s stacked HT winter Camelina performed well on the field plots pre-treated with Group 2 herbicides. By comparison, significant injury was observed to control winter Camelina grown on soil containing IMI or SU residues. In the spring of 2024, these winter field plots will be sprayed with glufosinate for broad leaf weed control.
Yield10 researchers also initiated in the fall of 2023 the first field tests of candidate winter Camelina lines deployed with the trait that provides tolerance to the spray application of glufosinate. The winter Camelina was planted, and the field plots were subsequently sprayed with glufosinate in accordance with the field trial design. Winter Camelina engineered with glufosinate tolerance remained healthy, while field plots of Camelina without the herbicide tolerance trait did not survive the spray. Additional spraying of glufosinate on the winter HT Camelina is planned in the spring of 2024.
Yield10 expects to harvest the winter field test plantings in the summer of 2024 and conduct an evaluation of its seed yield, oil content, herbicide tolerance and overall agronomy.
“Our focus on the development of herbicide tolerant and stacked herbicide tolerant Camelina is intended to provide significant differentiation of our elite Camelina varieties from conventional varieties while potentially enabling growers to seamlessly integrate Camelina production into their crop rotations on a large-scale,” said Kristi Snell, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Yield10 Bioscience. “Stacked HT technology is particularly important for planting winter Camelina in the fall after harvest of the previous crop. The encouraging results from the first field testing of our winter HT and Stacked HT Camelina varieties marks another milestone in our Camelina program and demonstrates the leadership position we have established deploying new traits into Camelina to potentially drive the value of the crop.”
Regulatory status
Yield10 is a leader in the development of elite Camelina, including herbicide tolerant varieties. In November of 2023, USDA-APHIS determined that Yield10’s glufosinate tolerant Camelina as well as its stacked herbicide tolerant Camelina may be planted and bred in the United States in response to two Requests for Regulatory Status Review packages submitted by Yield10. An application to add Camelina to a glufosinate label is pending with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
About Yield10 Bioscience
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. ("Yield10" or the "Company") is an agricultural bioscience company that is leveraging advanced genetics to develop the oilseed Camelina sativa ("Camelina") as a platform crop for large-scale production of sustainable seed products. These seed products include feedstock oils for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation biofuels; omega-3 (EPA and DHA+EPA) oils for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and aquafeed applications; and, in the future, PHA biomaterials for use as biodegradable bioplastics. Subject to the availability of sufficient financial resources to continue operations, our commercial plan is based on establishing a grain contracting business leveraging our proprietary elite Camelina seed varieties, focusing on the growing demand for low-carbon intensity feedstock oil for biofuels and omega-3 oils for nutritional applications. Yield10 is headquartered in Woburn, MA and has a Canadian subsidiary, Yield10 Oilseeds Inc., located in Saskatoon, Canada.
For more information about the Company, please visit www.yield10bio.com, or follow the Company on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and LinkedIn.
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Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release which are not strictly historical, including, without limitation, expectations related to research, development and harvesting of Camelina, the expected path to regulatory approvals, the potential for herbicide tolerance in Camelina to support grower adoption and large-scale production, the potential for Camelina to provide sustainable means to produce biofuels and omega-3 oils, and expectations regarding the integration of Camelina with current weed control and crop rotation practices of major crops, constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, the fact that interim results of field tests may not necessarily be indicative of later results, the Company’s ability to secure adequate funding in the near term to continue operations and to remain listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, as to which no assurance can be given, as well as the risks and uncertainties detailed in Yield10 Bioscience's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Yield10 assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the matters described herein.
Contact:
Yield10 Bioscience:
Lynne H. Brum, (617) 682-4693, LBrum@yield10bio.com
FAQ
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