St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Canada and Secunderabad, India
April 27, 2009

Today Advanta India Limited and DNA LandMarks Inc are pleased to announce the formation of a strategic partnership in marker-assisted breeding. Advanta is a global player in the seed market and one of the fastest growing seed companies in the world. DNA LandMarks is a world leader in agricultural genomic services and specializes in enhancing seed breeding programs through the use of genetic markers. The program will encompass both vegetable and row crops.

Together, the two companies aim to achieve dramatic improvements in the breeding process. Services will include marker-assisted selection, accelerated marker-assisted backcrossing and genetic mapping of key traits for Advanta’s program. In other crops, where genomic resources are scarce, the possibility exists to develop de novo marker panels so that Advanta’s breeding efforts can accelerate in all of the species it develops.

“The development of innovative technologies and technology providers supporting conventional plant breeding is becoming more and more competitive and competent. We see the formation of strategic alliances as highly beneficial and thus provides Advanta with the facilities to focus on its breeding strengths while locking into the tremendous molecular marker skills of a company such as DNA Landmarks” stated Sanjay Katiyar, Advanta’s Global Biotechnology Lead.

“The chance to work closely with Advanta is a tremendous opportunity.” said DNA LandMarks CEO and Managing Director Joachim Richert, “India is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and Advanta is an innovation leader in the region and beyond. With our genomic technologies we will help Advanta enhance their breeding efforts and create greater value for their customers.”

Since its foundation in 1995, DNA LandMarks Inc. has been a world leader in DNA marker development and applications. Today the company offers a full array of marker technologies to the agricultural sector from development to mapping to high-throughput application. DNA LandMarks is a unit of BASF Plant Science and its Centre of Excellence for DNA sequencing and genotyping. For more information please contact: Charles Pick, Business Development Manager – charles.pick@dnalandmarks.ca.

BASF – the Chemical Company – consolidated its plant biotechnology activities in BASF Plant Science in 1998. Today, about 700 employees are working to optimize crops for more efficient agriculture, renewable raw materials and healthier nutrition. Projects include yield increase in staple crops, higher content of Omega-3s in oil crops for preventing cardiovascular diseases, and potatoes with optimized starch composition for industrial use. To find out more about BASF Plant Science, please visit www.basf.com/plantscience.

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. BASF has more than 97,000 employees and posted sales of €63.2 billion in 2008.

ADVANTA India Limited is a seed company with global footprint committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. Advanta has one of the most complete product portfolios in the Global Seed Industry with a comprehensive range of field, oilseed and vegetable crops. Advanta is proud of its wide range of proprietary products in crops that improve the productivity and profitability of the farmers in many of the food production zones of the world. Advanta is a member of the United Phosphorous Group of Companies. For more
information visit www.advantaindia.com.

Website: http://www.basf.de

Published: April 27, 2009