The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis.
Davis biotechnology company BioConsortia Inc. has been granted a patent for a process that underlies its technology to improve the performance of crops.
The company has been using the technology to quickly discover groupings of microbes that increase crop yields or that protect crops from harm.
Using beneficial groups of microbes, the company has been able to drive substantially more yield in controlled tests of corn, wheat, soybean and ryegrass. It is now in the midst of field trials for corn, wheat and soybean crops.
The now-patented rapid microbial selection process has been used successfully for more than a year to find and mix beneficial combinations of microbes, company spokesman Jon Amdursky said.
BioConsortia calls its process Advanced Microbial Selection, which is focused on finding combinations of microbes that nurture the target crop being grown.While many companies test thousands of plant specimens to see of they can find beneficial qualities, BioConsortia is interested in combinations of soil microbes and how they can be beneficial for the plant. Goals include increased crop yield and lower use of fertilizer.
Read full, original post: Davis biotech company wins patent for process to help crops
