Partnerships

Bayer CropScience

Improving crop productivity and yield

Bayer CropScience , a subsidiary of Bayer AG, is one of the world’s leading innovative crop science companies in the areas of crop protection, non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology. In April 2009, Bayer CropScience and Evogene entered into a three-year collaboration focused on increasing rice productivity and yield. Bayer CropScience received an exclusive commercialization license to candidate genes, discovered by Evogene, for use in rice. The agreement expands the companies' existing research and development collaboration for rice, established in 2007.

Press Release - Bayer CropScience and Evogene Enter a Multi-Year Collaboration for Rice Yield Improvement 

Press Release - BayerCropScience and Evogene to Collaborate on Crop Yield Improvement

Biogemma

Elite drought resistant corn lines

Biogemma, an affiliate of Limagrain, is a leading biotech company in Europe, involved in genomics as applied to field crops and a leading provider of corn germplasm. Biogemma has entered into a partnership with Evogene for development of elite corn lines displaying improved yield and tolerance (yield stability) under drought conditions. The collaboration is based on Evogene's gene candidates for improving tolerance to abiotic stress and Biogemma's elite corn germplasm.

Press Release - Evogene and Biogemma enter collaboration to develop drought tolerant corn

Bontom (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Molecular markers for improving tomato aroma and taste

Bontom, based in the Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, is a leading provider of tomato varieties and one of the largest breeder groups of tomatoes in the world. The group is best known for its long shelf life varieties as well as for many cherry tomato cultivars with excellent yield and flavor. Bontom has partnered with Evogene for joint development of elite tomato lines with improved aroma and taste. The joint program focuses on discovering molecular markers utilizing Evogene's computational ATHLETE platform.

Press Release - Evogene to enter a research collaboration with the faculty of Agriculture of The Hebrew University on improved taste and aroma of tomatoes

Cirad

Cotton lines with improved tolerance to abiotic stress

Cirad is a French development-oriented agricultural research organization, serving the tropics and subtropics. Evogene and CIRAD are collaborating to jointly develop cotton seed lines with improved resistance to various types of abiotic stress conditions such as drought, heat and salinity. The joint approach is based on the integration of new natural genetic material from CIRAD’s collection of natural genetic diversity and novel genes discovered by Evogene.

Press Release - Evogene and CIRAD sign a Frame Agreement for collaboration for the development of abiotic stress tolerant cotton

Monsanto

Improving Nitrogen Use efficiency

Monsanto Company is a world leading seed company, and a leading provider of innovative technology-based solutions and agricultural products. In August 2008, Monsanto and Evogene have entered into a five year R&D collaboration focused on identifying key plant genes related to yield, environmental stress and fertilizer utilization. Monsanto has received exclusive licensing rights to candidate genes discovered by Evogene to improve such plant traits in a number of crops, including corn, soybean, canola, and cotton. The companies have been collaborating since 2007 to improve nitrogen use efficiency in corn, soybeans, canola and cotton.

Press Release - Monsanto and Evogene Collaborate on Yield and Stress Research

Press Release - Monsanto and Evogene Collaborate on Nitrogen Use Efficiency Research

Pioneer Hi-Bred

Improving corn and soybean drought tolerance

Rahan Meristem (1998) Ltd.

Bananas displaying resistance to disease

Rahan Meristem is a plant biotechnology and propagation company, specializing in tissue culture, molecular genetics and breeding. The company exists since 1974, and is currently the largest producer of banana plantlet by tissue culture globally. Evogene and Rahan Meristem are collaborating to research, develop and jointly market bananas displaying resistance to Black Leaf Streak Disease ("Black Sigatoka"), the most damaging disease threatening banana plantations.

Press Release - Rahan Meristem and Evogene to Collaborate on Key Banana Disease

Sungene

Enabling gene targeting technologies

SunGene, a daughter company of BASF Plant Science, is one of the largest plant biotechnology companies in Germany. SunGene is focusing on Metabolic Engineering of valuable plant compounds and Enabling Technologies. SunGene and Evogene are collaborating to develop next generation enabling technologies to allow gene targeting into a specific site in plant DNA. BASF Plant Science was founded in 1998 as BASF's biotechnology company, and is working to optimize crops for the following sectors: more efficient agriculture, renewable raw materials for specialty products and healthier nutrition for humans and animals.

Press Release - Evogene and Sungene, a BASF Plant Science company, to collaborate on next generation plant-biotechnology enabling technologies

Syngenta

Improving Soybean Nematode Resistance

Syngenta is one of the world's leading companies, dedicated at increasing crop productivity, protecting the environment and improving health and quality of life.  In June 2009, Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc and Evogene entered into a collaboration, focusing on identifying plant genes related to soybean nematode resistance, one of the most devastating and yield limiting pests of soybean. Syngenta has received exclusive licensing rights to candidate genes discovered by Evogene for use in soybean.

TAGIP Consortium

Enabling the targeted integration of genes in plants

The Robert H. Smith Institute (Faculty of Agricultural, Food & Environmental quality Sciences)

Identify genes for improving water stress tolerance

The Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, based in the Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is the largest, most diverse Israeli academic institution devoted to plant sciences. Evogene has partnered with the Institute to disclose the biological function of certain aquaporin genes, which regulate plant water balance during different water shortage stresses. The genes were discovered by Evogene utilizing its computational technology, the ATHLETE.

Vilmorin

Improving tomatoes' yield and yield stability

Vilmorin, the fourth largest seed company in the world, is a leading breeder of vegetable and field crop plants, and the mother company of Hazera Genetics. Vilmorin has licensed the rights to Evogen's discovered genes for improving tomatoes' yield and yield stability. These genes have been validated by Evogene in field trails in tomatoes, demonstrating improved yield of over 20% under normal and environmental stress conditions.

Press Release - Evogene to Collaborate with Vilmorin for Tamato Yield Improvement

Viterra

Improving canola yield and stress tolerance

Viterra is Canada’s largest agribusiness, which was created by the merger of Canada’s two largest grain handlers, Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and Agricore United. Evogene and Viterra are collaborating to develop canola with improved yield and tolerance to abiotic stress. The companies work to evaluate the effect of a number of Evogene discovered gene candidates in Viterra's proprietary canola lines in field trials in Western Canada.

Press Release – Viterra and Evogene to Develop Canola with Improved Yield and Stress Tolerance Traits

Zeraim Gedera

Tomato lines with improved tolerance to salinity

Zeraim Gedera breeds high quality vegetable varieties and produces and markets the seeds of those varieties to customers worldwide. Zeraim Gedera and Evogene are collaborating on the development of tomato lines with improved tolerance to saline conditions. The program utilizes Zeraim Gedera's breeding expertise in combining germplasms owned by both Zeraim Gedera and Evogene. Through the joint project Evogene has discovered novel molecular markers and is utilizing a proprietary plant selection system. More information on the project can be found in the Molecular Marker section.

Press Release - Evogene and Zeraim Gedera salt tolerant tomato collaboration advances to second phase