BioLumic Expands Light-Activated Seed Technology to South American Corn Markets

BioLumic, an agricultural biotechnology company specializing in light-activated seed traits, has announced the expansion of its Corn xTraits™ Licensing Program into South America through strategic partnerships with Brazilian seed companies GDM and Tropical Melhoramento & Genética (TMG). This expansion represents a significant step in bringing innovative agricultural technology to one of the world's major grain-producing regions, with potential implications for crop performance, development timelines, and farmer access to advanced seed technologies.

The company's South American deployment includes early-stage evaluations with GDM and a collaboration with TMG, both leading Brazilian seed companies, along with regional seed production and nursery engagement with Gro Alliance. According to BioLumic CEO Steve Sibulkin, "South American deployment is essential" to meet global demand and reach innovative seed partners and their customers. The company's seed partners see an opportunity to drive higher performance in a fraction of the time and cost of alternative approaches.

GDM's current engagement focuses on testing BioLumic's technology within its own genetics as part of early-stage evaluations. Tomas Tresca, Global NGT Traits Business Partner at GDM, stated, "We are enthusiastic about exploring BioLumic's technology within our genetics as part of early-stage testing. This is an important step toward understanding how light-activated traits could enhance performance and complement our breeding strategies in the future."

BioLumic will leverage TMG's regional breeding expertise to accelerate field evaluation and adapt its xTraits Platform for South America's top-producing corn regions. Anderson Meda, Head of Research and Development – Biotechnology and Genetics at TMG, noted, "TMG is evaluating BioLumic's light-activation technology with interest. The approach has the potential to complement our efforts to enhance stability and performance in corn hybrid development, particularly in environments where rapid product advancement adds value for growers."

Grupo Scheffer, one of Brazil's largest agricultural producers and a preferred customer of TMG, will run multi-location field evaluations across its testing network including Mato Grosso and surrounding grain geographies. This alignment between seed companies and their major customer creates a direct pathway to validate BioLumic corn xTraits and ensure regional farmers gain access to these innovations through trusted partners.

Off-season nursery activities in Chile enable year-round seed production cycling, trait matching, and hybrid trait development for both northern and southern hemisphere partners. BioLumic expects these collaborations to drive a broader Latin America rollout over the next 12 to 15 months, with expansion aligned to partner commercial strategies. The company is currently evaluating inbred germplasm provided by its Brazilian partners, with field evaluations and hybrid nursery production scheduled for 2026.

Light-activated hybrids will be tested across both Brazil's first "Safra" and second "Safrinha" growing seasons to evaluate performance across major growing cycles and key grain-producing regions. Data generated through 2026 and into 2027 will support commercial launch timing aligned to partner strategies for bringing new corn xTraits to market. BioLumic expects future expansion into soybean and ryegrass across Latin America in the near future. More information about the company's technology is available at https://www.biolumic.com.