CTNBio approves commercial use of drought-tolerant transgenic soybeans with HB4 technology in Brazil

Tropical Melhoramento & Genética (TMG) and Verdeca, a joint venture between Arcadia Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKDA) and Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp. (NYSE American: BIOX) announced today that they have completed the entire deregulation process before the National Technical Biosafety Commission (CTNBio) and received commercial approval, in Brazil, for the drought-tolerant transgenic trait HB4 in soybeans, from Verdeca. The approval allows the planting and harvesting of soybean varieties with this event in the country.

In addition to the HB4 trait alone, another event combining HB4 with tolerance to the herbicide Glyphosate was also approved. This stacking of the HB4 event with the already known “RR1” event is Verdeca's new product to benefit soybean producers through quality improvements, stress mitigation and management practices.

Approval by CTNBio opens a 30-day period for comments and public consultations before the definitive approval document can be issued. Furthermore, the commercial launch of the HB4 trait in Brazil depends on approvals from the main soybean importing countries, which are in progress, and on variety registration processes.

The HB4 transgenic event has already been approved in Argentina and by the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) in the USA. Regulatory submissions are currently being evaluated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), as well as China, Paraguay, Bolivia and Uruguay.

More than 34 million of the world's soybean hectares are cultivated in Brazil. In the last two harvests, mainly, several regions of South America faced significant water stress conditions, and the HB4 technology would have significantly avoided the losses in grain yield experienced by soybean producers, mainly in Argentina and Southern Brazil. Continued use of this technology would also reduce the risk of losses due to local or regional drought conditions, which occur with each harvest.

“This new event will allow soybean producers to protect yields under climate stress conditions. The deregulation of this technology in Brazil is another significant step towards the successful commercialization of HB4 in South America”, says Verdeca's general manager, Martin Mariani Ventura.

Francisco Soares Neto, president of TMG, highlights that HB4 is the transgenic trait in soy that goes beyond the herbicide tolerance and insect resistance packages offered to date. “The technology will provide production stability in diverse environments and farmers will see a direct benefit from using the technology.”

TMG Research Manager, Alexandre Garcia, comments that the commercial approval of the HB4 trait will allow for larger tests for genetic improvement, registration of soybean cultivars and seed production in Brazilian territory. “TMG, as a Brazilian company, is proud to be part of this project in collaboration with Verdeca and to have completed the regulatory framework in Brazil. It is very important for South American companies to bring innovation to South American farmers,” he highlights.

In addition to regulatory work, TMG and Verdeca have developed a strategic partnership to combine TMG's germplasm and breeding capabilities with Verdeca's soybean technologies.

Arcadia Biosciences and Bioceres Crop Solutions formed Verdeca in 2012 to develop new generations of soybean traits across all major production regions, starting in South America and North America, which together represent nearly 80% of soybean hectares. produced in the world.