Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
December 08, 2025
BioLumic Expands Light-Activated Seed Technology to South America
TLDR
- BioLumic's expansion into South America with its Corn xTraits program offers seed companies a faster, lower-cost way to develop high-performance corn hybrids for competitive advantage.
- BioLumic's light-based technology programs heritable seed traits through early-stage evaluations with Brazilian partners, field testing across multiple growing seasons, and year-round nursery production in Chile.
- This expansion helps farmers access innovative, non-GMO corn traits through trusted partners, potentially enhancing crop resilience and yield to support global food security.
- BioLumic uses light as a programming language for plants, creating heritable seed traits without genetic modification through a one-time light application to seeds.
Impact - Why it Matters
This expansion matters because it brings innovative, non-GMO agricultural technology to one of the world's most important food-producing regions at a critical time. South America, particularly Brazil, has become a global agricultural powerhouse, with corn production playing a vital role in global food security and commodity markets. BioLumic's light-activated seed technology offers farmers potentially higher yields and improved crop resilience without genetic modification, addressing growing consumer demand for non-GMO products while helping producers meet increasing food demands. The technology's ability to enhance performance in a fraction of the time and cost of traditional breeding methods could accelerate agricultural innovation at a time when climate change and population growth are putting unprecedented pressure on food systems. For consumers, this means more sustainable and potentially more affordable food production; for farmers, it represents access to cutting-edge technology through trusted local partners; and for the agricultural industry, it demonstrates how biotechnology can evolve beyond genetic modification to offer new solutions for global food challenges.
Summary
BioLumic, the pioneering agricultural biotechnology company that programs heritable seed traits using light, is expanding its innovative Corn xTraits™ Licensing Program into South America through strategic partnerships with Brazil's leading seed companies. The company announced early-stage evaluations with GDM and a collaboration with Tropical Melhoramento & Genética (TMG), along with regional seed production and nursery engagement with Gro Alliance. This expansion builds on the strong commercial momentum of xTraits in the United States and aligns with BioLumic's global strategy to establish xTraits hubs in major grain-producing regions worldwide. CEO Steve Sibulkin emphasized that South American deployment is essential to meet global demand, with seed partners recognizing the opportunity to drive higher performance in significantly less time and cost compared to alternative approaches.
The collaborations represent a comprehensive approach to validating BioLumic's technology in South America's top corn-producing regions. GDM is currently testing BioLumic's technology within its own genetics as part of early-stage evaluations, while TMG will leverage its regional breeding expertise to accelerate field evaluation and adapt the xTraits Platform for local conditions. Grupo Scheffer, one of Brazil's largest agricultural producers and a preferred customer of TMG, will conduct multi-location field evaluations across its extensive testing network, including Mato Grosso and surrounding grain geographies. This alignment between seed companies and their major customers creates a direct pathway to validate BioLumic corn xTraits and ensure regional farmers gain access to these innovations through trusted partners.
BioLumic is currently evaluating inbred germplasm provided by its Brazilian partners, with field evaluations and hybrid nursery production scheduled for 2026. The company will test light-activated hybrids across both Brazil's primary "Safra" and secondary "Safrinha" growing seasons to evaluate performance across major growing cycles and key grain-producing regions. 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 future expansion planned for soybean and ryegrass across the region. The data generated through 2026 and into 2027 will support commercial launch timing aligned with partner strategies for bringing new corn xTraits to market.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content disributed by Reportable. Read the original source here, BioLumic Expands Light-Activated Seed Technology to South America
