Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, Canada
April 12, 2010

DNA LandMarks announced today that it has signed an agreement to collaborate with the Generation Challenge Programme (GCP) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). GCP strives to provide farmers in the developing world access to the same advances in molecular biology available in industrialized countries. Its focus includes marker-assisted breeding technologies which enables breeders to greatly improve crop production.

DNA LandMarks is a world leader in agricultural genomics and is pleased to collaborate on this exciting Programme. “Marker-assisted breeding has become a key success factor in breeding programs throughout the industrialized world.” commented DNA LandMarks CEO Karin Becker, “We believe providing access to this technology for crops in developing nations is extremely important as genetic improvement of key agricultural crops is critical in these regions.”

“We conducted a global search of leading DNA marker technology laboratories for GCP,” said Humberto Gomez, GCP’s Marker Services Manager. “DNA LandMarks demonstrated exceptional skill and depth of knowledge as well as a strong willingness to collaborate with us. We believe this relationship will help advance plant breeding in the areas of the world that require it most.”

The agreement covers a wide variety of species that are agronomically important in the developing world. Breeders from these countries will be able to submit samples directly to DNA LandMarks for genetic analysis and selection of traits that will rapidly speed up crop improvement and performance.

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 Plant Science – a BASF group company - is one of the world’s leading companies providing innovative plant biotechnology solutions for agriculture. Today, about 700 employees are helping farmers meet the growing demand for improved agricultural productivity and healthier nutrition for humans and animals. BASF Plant Science has developed an unparalleled gene discovery platform focusing on yield and quality traits in crops such as corn, soybean and rice. Jointly with leading partners in the seed industry BASF Plant Science is commercializing its products. Current projects include higher yielding row crops, nutritionally-enhanced corn for animal feed or higher content of Omega-3’s in oil crops for preventing cardiovascular diseases. 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 approximately 97,000 employees and posted sales of €63.2 billion in 2008.

Created by the CGIAR in 2003 as a timebound 10-year Programme, GCP’s goal is to add value to crop breeding, targeting farmers in drought-prone and harsh environments. Through capacity-building and by assisting developing world researchers to tap into a broader and richer pool of plant genetic diversity, GCP strives to ensure that crops improved by cutting-edge science will reach farmers in the developing world. GCP’s mission is to use plant genetic diversity, advanced genomic science and comparative biology to develop tools and technologies that will support plant breeders in the developing world in their efforts to produce better crop varieties.

GCP links basic science with applied research through a broad network of plant scientists from diverse backgrounds, working in international agricultural research at CGIAR Centres, in academia and in regional and country research programmes. The network generates knowledge, explores new allelic diversity and develops practical tools such as molecular markers for desirable traits to increase the efficiency of plant breeding in developing countries. www.generationcp.org

Published: April 12, 2010