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Home2020July (Page 11)
Agro Universities, R&D

Decoding the genome sequences of jute retting microbes is the key

Although India is the largest producer of raw jute and jute goods, the quality of the fibres in the international market was deemed not upto the mark. The latest breakthrough by the Indian COuncil of Agricultural Research, ICAR and Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibres, CRIJAF, Barrackpore will help improve fibre quality by adopting jute retting with free flowing water, in situ retting tank based farming with a microbial consortium ‘CRIJAF SONA’.

The scientists of ICAR – CRIJAF have decoded the genome sequences of jute retting microbes by high throughput genome sequencing. The in-depth genomic analysis significantly revealed three different species of Bacillus constitute the consortium strains. The genome sizes of these strains are ~3.8 Mb with 3729 to 4002 protein-coding genes.

The sequence data has been submitted to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database of NIH, USA. Genome sequencing also confirms that retting bacteria degrades pectin, hemicellulose and other non-cellulosic materials, non-harmful for fibre. The bacterial strains are non-toxic and thus the retting water with microbial strains can safely be used for irrigation.

Decoding the genome sequences of jute retting

Agrotech, R&D

Another ‘Make in India’ initiative bears fruit

The Ministry of Agriculture had, in May 2020, enlisted the services of UK-based company, Micron to repurpose two MI-17 helicopters for spraying atomized pesticide in case of a locust attack. But when the COVID-19 pandemic started affecting worldwide, Micron informed the Ministry of the inevitable delay in the manufacturing and supply of the helicopter modification kit to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

When the locust attack materialized from the last week of May, IAF entrusted No. 3 Base Repair Depot in Chandigarh to indigenously design and develop an Airborne Locust Control System (ALCS) for MI-17 helicopters.

The system has been successfully designed using local components. An auxiliary tank of 800 litres capacity fitted inside the helicopter can be filled with the pesticide Malathion in appropriate concentration. The pesticide can then be sprayed through the nozzles mounted on the sides of the helicopter by using an electrical pump as well as compressed air.

Around 800 litres of the pesticide can be sprayed in about 40 minutes covering approximately 750 hectares in the locust infected area. The ground and airborne trials of ALCS on a modified MI-17 helicopter have been successfully conducted by a team of Test Pilots and Test Engineers.

Another ‘Make in India’ initiative bears fruitThe

Agro chems – Pesticides, E-commerce, R&D

FMC will use Cyclica’s proprietary AI platforms, to optimize the discovery of novel compounds 

FMC Corporation has entered into a collaboration with Cyclica Inc to accelerate and improve the efficiency of discovering new crop protection chemistry. This is among the first of several new technology collaborations and approaches that FMC is pursuing to expand its research of novel active ingredients that protect crops from diseases and destructive pests. 

“Today we have an award-winning pipeline of more than 25 promising new molecules,” says Kathleen Shelton, vice president and chief technology officer of FMC. “Discovering a new molecule with the right efficacy, mode of action and sustainability profile is a complex, multi-year process requiring hundreds of researchers testing tens of thousands of compounds annually. Augmenting our traditional research and screening processes with the power of artificial intelligence will help us identify and assess more molecules faster and with greater precision.” 

FMC will use Ligand Design and Ligand Express, Cyclica’s proprietary AI platforms, to optimize the discovery of novel compounds at a pace that far exceeds typical chemistry discovery research programs. Powered by MatchMaker, a deep learning proteome screening technology, and POEM, a machine learning technology for predicting molecular properties, Ligand Design and Ligand Express will assess millions of chemical structures, providing FMC researchers with a greater volume of high-quality molecule predictions that are specific to the pesticidal target of interest. A similar AI-augmented approach to discovery research has been used successfully for years in industries that require extensive data analysis, significant investments and lengthy development timelines, such as pharmaceuticals and healthcare. 

“We are excited to partner with FMC scientists in their quest to innovate novel molecules that control pests and diseases in agriculture,” says Naheed Kurji, cofounder, president and CEO of Cyclica. “Ligand Design and Ligand Express have been instrumental in the design and screening of new medicines, and we look forward to applying those learnings in support of FMC’s global discovery research programs.” Terms of the collaboration with Cyclica are not disclosed.

FMC will use Cyclica’s proprietary AI platforms,

E-commerce, Seeds, Trade

Corteva will become the sole owner of the intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, proprietary germplasm and information

 Corteva, Inc. announced that the company has signed an agreement with J.G. Boswell Company to purchase its ownership interest in PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC – a joint venture between the two companies. 

PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC was formed to focus on the U.S. cotton seed industry. With a 53.5% stake prior to the agreement, Corteva has operated this joint venture in the U.S. market through its wholly owned subsidiary, Mycogen LLC. 

“This acquisition provides a solid proof point of our consistent commitment to driving long-term growth through targeted investments in solid margin opportunities that at the same time strengthen our ability to serve our customers,” says James C. Collins, Jr., Corteva Agriscience Chief Executive Officer. 

“With this action, we intend to build on the strong foundation we established with J.G. Boswell Company over the last two decades – continuing to serve cotton customers with our growing global portfolio of leading cottonseed products,” says Steve Reno, Corteva Agriscience Seed Business Platform President. “This step further strengthens Corteva Agriscience’s commitment to the cotton market – and positions the Company well to diversify and grow this business globally over time.” 

Corteva has a high-yielding, elite germplasm portfolio, with breeding infrastructure and technologies expected to continue to advance genetic gain – together with industry-leading trait technologies to address existing and emerging pest management challenges for cotton growers. PhytoGen Breeding Traits protect yield and fiber quality, all season long, with in-plant protection against challenging cotton diseases and nematode pests. Further, PhytoGen brand varieties with the Enlist cotton trait provide more options for unrivalled productivity against tough to control and resistant weeds – and the trusted durability of PhytoGen brand varieties with WideStrike and WideStrike 3 Insect Protection helps cotton farmers protect their crops from potential yield-robbing pests. 

With a 100% ownership position in PhytoGen Seed Company, LLC, Corteva will become the sole owner of the intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, proprietary germplasm and information, as well as know-how. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Corteva will become the sole owner of

Agrotech

Agri finance and technology veterans join forces with Pioneering Ventures to co-create a farmer-centric agri finance and value chain services platform

Samaaru, a portfolio company of Indo-Swiss agriculture platform Pioneering Ventures, aims to transform agri financial and value chain services with a technology-led open ecosystem model.

Together with leaders from agri finance and technology industries, Pioneering Ventures has launched Samaaru, an innovative tech-enabled service provider that empowers small-scale farmers and rural entrepreneurs with farm advisory, supply chain services, market access and affordable finance (via lending institutions).

 The Indo-Swiss agricultural platform Pioneering Ventures is delighted to announce the launch of Samaaru, a farmer-centric agri finance and value chain services platform co-created with accomplished agri finance and technology industry leaders. The company recently started operations in West and South India, providing a closely integrated range of services across the food value chain.

 Michael Andrade, Co-founder, MD and CEO of Samaaru, said: “We are on a mission to make farmers prosperous and successful, thereby making farming a desirable occupation. With a combination of hi-tech and hi-touch, Samaaru offers farm advisory, warehousing and market access to small-holder farmers and our value chain partners together with affordable finance via our partners. We are setting up a tech-enabled open ecosystem business model and warmly welcome agri entrepreneurs, food companies, financial, technology and impact partners with a commitment to rural India to join us.”

Michael elaborated: “Sandeep Raju and I are delighted to launch Samaaru’s operations together with our highly accomplished leadership team, which brings together deep experience and capabilities in technology, finance and agribusiness. We are particularly proud to have Deepak Goswami, Dinesh Poduval and Rochan S join us as C-level co-founders in this journey.”

Sandeep Raju, Co-founder and Director, further emphasized: “Michael’s pioneering work in this sector has been truly inspirational for all of us to come together to prepare Samaaru’s launch over the last year. During this time, we have set up a technology foundation and roadmap to enable financial, farm and value chain innovation at scale. Our investments in building a farm-to-offtaker Samaaru Stack for dairy, crops and finance are de-risked by deep sectoral expertise and a robust demand book.”

 Ron Pal, Founder and Chairman at Pioneering Ventures, underlined the transformative potential of the venture, “Samaaru uniquely addresses one of the largest under-served rural markets in the world. The unfulfilled needs of over a hundred million small-holder farmer families offer a tremendous market and impact opportunity that can be addressed efficiently at scale. With Francisco Fernandez, Co-founder at Pioneering Ventures, we have one of the world’s most visionary and experienced fintech entrepreneurs in this field on board. Especially in the context of recent policy reforms, we look forward to moving the needle on this sector, delivering affordable finance and sustainable incomes for the farming community.”

Agri finance and technology veterans join forces