Evogene expands crop protection activities at Israel facility

Evogene, specialists in the improvement of crop productivity and economics for the food, feed and biofuel industries, has completed its expansion of crop protection activities at its facility in Rehovot, Israel.

The facilities will support research and development activities for Evogene's product programmes, which focus on fungi, insect and weed control. The field of crop protection is a major focus of growth and expansion for Evogene where it looks to develop novel seed traits as well as seed external solutions.

In late 2013, as part of its multi-year collaboration with Monsanto, the company announced a new product programme targeting Stalk Rot disease caused by various fungi species.

In April this year, Evogene disclosed its entry into the area of plant insect resistance and control with initial activities focusing on developing seed traits displaying resistance to two key insects, corn rootworm and soyabean aphids.

The company expects to complete its weed control start-to-end molecular discover platform for the development of chemical herbicides based on novel 'modes of action' in 2015.

The facilities are part of Evogene's plan to invest approximately $10 million over the next few years to expand its existing knowledge base, computational platforms, and testing and validation capabilities.

The new research facilities will include three separate laboratories and will be in addition to Evogene's existing 380,000 square-feet of research and development facilities, which include dedicated tissue culture and molecular laboratories, 36 greenhouses for gene validation and propagation in model plants, and testing fields.