Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions, Inc., an agricultural technology company, has executed a joint intellectual property licensing agreement with Corteva Agriscience and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard for foundational CRISPR-Cas9 and related gene editing tools to further research and develop Harpe Bioherbicide tolerant crop systems
The company continues to advance its portfolio of natural, non-selective herbicide formulations to a commercial ready phase using a series of active ingredient compounds found in plant extracts. Proving the possibilities of crops tolerant to Harpe Bioherbicide applications with CRISPR-Cas9 technology will help meet farmers’ need for expanded and differentiated weed control solutions while also further expanding the commercial opportunity of the technology.
Featuring new sites and modes of action, Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions will not only take a lead role in the bioherbicide market for new products, but developed products also will also be impacted, improving the greater industry of conventional herbicides.
Working both as pre-emergent weed prevention and post-emergent weed control, Harpe Bioherbicide products can be used alone or in combination with synthetic chemical herbicides to effectively eliminate resistant and tough-to-kill weeds. This allows for less harm to the soil and surrounding environment while increasing crop yields safely.
“We’re excited to add CRISPR-Cas9 technology to our platform of tools aimed at providing more sustainable herbicide use for the industry,” said Chad Brommer, PhD, chief technology officer, Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions. “These pioneering tools will in the future help enable in-season use of Harpe’s new bioherbicide formulations to help mitigate increasing weed resistance challenges while advancing sustainable practices in global food production.”
Harpe Bioherbicide Solutions is collaborating with Saint Louis based Solis Agrosciences to accelerate the development of Harpe’s herbicide tolerant crop systems. Solis provides cutting edge R&D services and an end-to-end pipeline that designs, generates and tests transgenic and gene edited plants speedily and cost-effectively.
