Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. Reports Preliminary 2016 Camelina Field Test Results
January 27, 2017 at 02:35 am IST
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Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. announced preliminary field test results in its model Camelina system showing that the novel yield trait gene C3003 produces significant improvements in seed yield. Specifically, C3003 produced an increase in seed yield in Camelina of up to 23% in the best line as measured by average seed weight (kg/hectare), which was statistically significant as compared to control plants. The field trials, which were started in May 2016, were primarily designed to establish Yield10’s Fast Field Testing platform and accelerate the generation of field data for crop trait discovery and improvement in addition to evaluating changes in seed yield and composition generated by specific trait leads in Camelina. The Company has substantially completed the analysis of data from this field test relating to C3003; however, gene expression analysis of the plants is ongoing. Stable Camelina seed lines expressing the yield trait gene C3003 were studied in this field trial. The highest yielding line expressing the C3003 gene matured an average of six days earlier than controls. While expression of C3003 enabled some lines to produce higher seed yields per acre, up to a 23% increase in the best line, the individual seed size in these lines was decreased compared to controls, likely due to a change in carbon partitioning in the plant. This reduction in seed size was expected based on data from prior greenhouse trials and Yield10 is currently addressing this with its second generation C3003 trait. Expression of C3003 did not change the total amount of oil in the seed.
Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. is an agricultural bioscience company that is leveraging advanced genetics to develop the oilseed Camelina sativa (Camelina) as a platform crop for large-scale production of sustainable seed products. These seed products include feedstock oils for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation biofuels; omega-3 (EPA and DHA+EPA) oils for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and aquafeed applications; and PHA bioplastics for use as biodegradable bioplastics. The Company is pursuing Camelina seed oil products for two market opportunities and value chains. The first product is seed oil produced by Camelina, which is genetically engineered to enable production of high levels of the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). The second product is Camelina seed oil for use as a low-carbon intensity feedstock oil for biofuels, including biodiesel, renewable diesel (RD) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).