July 18, 2018
The International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research is pleased to announce that the Ag-Biologicals division of Evogene has joined the organization as a sponsoring partner.
The Phytobiomes Alliance is an international, nonprofit consortium of academic institutions, private companies, and government agencies. Launched in 2016, it aims at building a foundation for exploitation of the phytobiome for food security.
“Phytobiomes” refers to a plant growing within a particular biome, enabling a holistic view of the production of crops, trees, and grasslands that includes the plant itself, all micro- and macro-organisms living in, on, or around the plant – such as microbes, animals, insects, and other plants – as well as the environment, which includes soil, air, water, weather, and climate.
Israeli-based Evogene is a leading biotechnology company developing novel products for life science markets through the use of a unique Computational Predictive Biology (CPB) platform.
Evogene’s Ag-Biologicals division goal is to improve agriculture productivity and sustainability through the introduction of microbiome based Ag-Biologicals products. The Division is focused on the discovery, optimization and development of novel, microbiome-based biopesticide and biostimulant products through the use of its CPB platform – harnessing the power of big data and advanced informatics.
“Evogene’s Ag-Biologicals division sees a great opportunity to be part of the Phytobiome Alliance. Combining industry and academia expertise will drive forward the understanding of complex microbiome networks and functionality and result in potential new solutions with improved efficacy, stability and commercial viability – driving agriculture productivity and sustainability,” says Michael Ionescu, Director of Research in the Ag-Biologicals Division.
Michael Ionescu will join the Alliance Coordinating Committee. This Committee identifies research, resource and technology gaps, establishes priorities, and develops strategic plans to achieve Alliance goals.
“We are very pleased to have the Ag-Biologicals division of Evogene joining the Alliance,” says Kellye Eversole, the Alliance Executive Director. “Phytobiomes science has the potential of improving agriculture productivity in arid regions such as the Middle-East and Evogene’s leading position in the region will bring a valuable perspective to the Alliance.”
Over the next decades, the United Nations predicts that the world population will grow by 83 million every year, to reach 9.8 billion by 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100. Producing enough food for this growing population – in a sustainable way, while preserving biodiversity and natural resources – requires a major paradigm shift in agricultural production. By establishing a foundation of knowledge on how phytobiome components interact and affect each other, the Phytobiomes Alliance aims at addressing these challenges.
Later this year, worldwide scientists from the public and private sector working on phytobiomes research will gather in Montpellier, France, from 4 to 6 December 2018 for the International Phytobiomes Conference – an event co-organized by the Phytobiomes Alliance – to present their research, discuss, and share their expertise to advance knowledge on how phytobiome components interact and affect each other.
About the Phytobiomes Alliance
The Phytobiomes Alliance is an international, nonprofit alliance of industry, academic, and governmental partners established in 2016. The goal of the Alliance is to understand, predict and control emergent phenotypes for sustainable production of food, feed and fiber on any given farm. The Phytobiomes Alliance is sponsored by Bayer CropScience, Eversole Associates, Monsanto, The Climate Corporation, INRA, Evogene, Indigo, the Noble Research Institute, NewLeaf Symbiotics, Colorado State University, the University of Maryland, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, the American Phytopathological Society, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and BioConsortia. http://www.phytobiomesalliance.org
About Evogene Ltd.:
Evogene (NASDAQ, TASE: EVGN) is a leading biotechnology company developing novel products for major life science markets through the use of a unique computational predictive biology (CPB) platform incorporating deep scientific understandings and advanced computational technologies. This platform is utilized by the Company to discover and develop innovative ag-chemical, ag-biological and ag-seed products (GM and non GM), and by two subsidiaries; Evofuel, focused on castor seeds, and Biomica, focused on human microbiome therapeutics. Through its collaborations over the years with world-leading agricultural companies such as BASF, Corteva, ICL and Monsanto, Evogene has licensed genes, small molecules and microbes to partners under milestone and royalty bearing agreements. For more information, please visit http://www.evogene.com/
Topics
Species
