PlantArcBio receives approval for planting and breeding soybeans modified with PPO herbicide-tolerant gene

PPO herbicides play a vital role in weed control in many crops, and the incorporation of PPO herbicide tolerance in crops provides farmers with a powerful tool to manage weed pressure effectively

PlantArcBio Ltd, an ag-biotech company specialising in gene discovery and biological components to enhance agricultural crop traits, is pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the Regulatory Status Review (RSR) conducted by the USDA-APHIS. The review concluded that a modified soybean variety using PlantArcBio’s genetic technology designed to confer resistance to protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO) herbicides does not present a plant pest risk and, therefore, may be safely grown and bred in the United States.

PPO herbicides play a vital role in weed control in many crops, and the incorporation of PPO herbicide tolerance in crops provides farmers with a powerful tool to manage weed pressure effectively. PlantArcBio’s novel PPO herbicide-tolerant trait in soybean allows for the use of several classes of PPO herbicides to control resistant and hard-to-control weeds, providing a targeted and efficient approach to weed management without impacting the soybean crop itself.

USDA/APHIS conducted a comprehensive evaluation as part of the RSR and found no plausible pathway by which PlantArcBio’s modified soybean would pose an increased plant pest risk relative to conventional soybean plants. Therefore, PlantArcBio’s modified soybean variety can now be freely planted, bred and commercialised without the need for a permit or regulatory authorisation.