Corteva will use PowerPollen’s prescriptive pollination expertise and algorithms to improve seed yield, purity and quality
Corteva and PowerPollen have collaborated on pollination-on-demand technology for corn seed production. (Credit: Nikky Smolders from Pixabay)
Pure-play agriculture company Corteva Agriscience has entered into a commercial agreement with ag-tech company PowerPollen to expand the use of pollination-on-demand technology for commercial corn seed production in the US.
Under the deal, PowerPollen will provide Corteva on-demand pollination technology and its prescriptive pollination expertise and algorithms to notify producers with the optimal pollination timing to improve seed yield, purity and quality.
Corteva Agriscience chief technology officer and senior vice president Neal Gutterson said: “Based on in-field testing, we believe PowerPollen’s technology will further enable us to produce high-quality seed for our farmers and improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of modern farming practices.”
PowerPollen will collect, preserve and apply pollen by using its patented technology
PowerPollen will collect, preserve, and apply pollen by using its patented technology, which deploys custom-designed tools and preservation methods to improve commercial operations.
The capacity to conserve pollen facilitates product innovation across different hybrids, in addition to increasing genetic diversity and in-season decision making.
PowerPollen co-founder and CEO Dr Todd Krone said: “Preserving and applying pollen at the optimal time to enable the production of a hybrid provides flexibility and efficiencies never before achieved in production agriculture. Corteva is the ideal collaborator to help us accelerate our commercialization strategy.”
In March this year, Corteva collaborated with Evogene’s subsidiary AgPlenus to develop novel herbicides.
Under a multi-year collaboration, the partnership will combine Corteva’s vitality in crop protection product discovery and development with AgPlenus’ expertise in designing efficient and sustainable crop protection products using predictive biology.
Corteva Agriscience offers a balanced and diverse mix of seed, crop protection, and digital solutions, while PowerPollen provides scalable technology to collect, preserve, and apply pollen on-demand to improve productivity.