Simplot Signs Research Agreement to Boost Crop Sustainability

Simplot has partnered up with Yield10 Bioscience – an agricultural bioscience company - with the aim to improve crop sustainability and performance.

Under the agreement, Yield10 Bioscience will evaluate three novel yield traits in potato, while Simplot plans to conduct research with these yield traits within its research and development program. In addition to the three-year, non-exclusive research agreement, Simplot was granted an option to negotiate an exclusive commercial license agreement.

The novel crop yield traits included in the research agreement are C3003, C3004 and C4001. In studies performed by Yield10 in greenhouses or field tests, these traits have shown a range of promising activities such as good agronomic performance, increased photosynthesis, increased seed yield, and/or increased biomass production. In 2019, Yield10 was granted a U.S. patent on C3003.

“Traits like improved crop yield and performance that Yield10 has discovered are also a key objective for Simplot as we pursue our goals of producing more sustainable crops,” said Susan Collinge, PhD., vice president of Simplot Plant Sciences. “It is technology-driven innovations like the traits developed by

Yield10 that may contribute to new solutions to meet growing global food demand by boosting crop performance of our products aimed at the consumer market,” added Collinge.

Also commenting on the partnership, Kirsti Snell, chief science officer of Yield10 Bioscience noted that the company looks forward to supporting the research team at Simplot, as it enables a new approach for improving yield performance in potato.

“Based on the activity we have reported in other crops, we believe our traits have significant potential for producing yield benefits in potato, Furthermore, the data generated in the program will help us continue to characterize the activity of our traits across a range of crop plants,” Snell added.