BioLumic Partners with Seed Companies to Revolutionize Corn Production

BioLumic, the world's sole company utilizing light to activate genetic expression in seeds for new crop traits, has made significant strides in enhancing inbred corn lines. These inbred seeds are essential for producing high-performing hybrid seeds, which are widely preferred by farmers.

Following remarkable performance milestones in 2023 field trials, BioLumic is collaborating with Beck's Hybrids, Peterson Corn Genetics, Peterson Farms Seed, Breeder Direct, and other seed companies. The goal is to leverage BioLumic's Genetic Expression Trait™ light-activated technology to boost productivity across various inbred and hybrid corn lines. The trials aim to improve germination, emergence, seedling vigor, yield, and hybrid seed quality—common challenges in inbred seed corn breeding and production.

BioLumic's technology employs ultraviolet (UV) light signaling, a scientifically validated method, to quickly activate natural genetic expression in plants. This process enhances yield, quality, and plant defense traits without requiring genetic modification or chemical additives. The company plans to commercialize its technology for inbred and hybrid corn cultivars, with light-treated seeds expected to be available to farmers by the 2025 planting season.

Steve Sibulkin, BioLumic CEO, stated, "By activating Genetic Expression Traits in corn parent lines and showing the ability to lock in those traits to hybrid corn progeny without any ensuing treatments, our UV light technology is rewriting the playbook for seed production. It eliminates years of trait identification and breeding work for driving yield, quality, and plant health without the multi-year regulatory process associated with genetic modification."

The U.S. field corn production mainly relies on robust, high-yielding hybrid cultivars derived from crossing genetically pure inbred seed lines to target specific traits. However, issues like reduced germination, poor seedling emergence and vigor, and increased susceptibility to environmental stressors often lead to lower yields and poor hybrid seed quality in the seed production process.

BioLumic's light treatments are designed to address these issues associated with inbreeding depression. In 2023 trials, treated inbred corn lines demonstrated a more than 7.3% yield gain without changing the grower's standard practice. The company aims for double-digit yield gains this year. These improvements were driven by enhanced early-season germination and increased seedling vigor, including an average 16% boost in root biomass.

BioLumic's Genetic Expression Traits can be combined to target multiple traits, such as improved stand establishment, yield, and composition, like lipid content.

Marc Neuman, Director of Sales and Product Development at Breeder Direct, commented, "Through our partnership with BioLumic, we are integrating this unique technology into our hybrid and inbred corn lines, evaluating BioLumic's trait performance on some of our most promising germplasm this season. Our mission is to deliver elite genetics that give our seed company clients improved margin opportunity. BioLumic's ability to improve the yield potential of germplasm that is already outstanding creates a big opportunity for us and independent seed companies."

BioLumic plans to commercialize Genetic Expression Traits for both inbred and hybrid corn in partnership with Gro Alliance in Q1 2025. The company is also collaborating with genetics providers to develop new traits for their cultivars and is advancing trait development for soybean parent lines, with initial trials starting this year.