Benson Hill Biosystems, an ag tech company using data analysis to unlock genetic potential in plants, is working with Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC), a leader in Brazilian sugar cane, to find commercial traits that will increase crop yields. The two companies have been working together since 2014; the most recent partnership announcement concerns the end of phase one in successfully using the Benson Hill platform for the crop.

“The rigor of Benson Hill’s CropOS system and ability to evaluate selected genes in the model crop Setaria viridisincreases the probability of success in sugarcane since the photosynthetic systems of the two plants are very similar,” said William Burnquist, director of R&D at CTC. “We are pleased to have achieved this milestone in our partnership and will soon move forward to the next phase of validating the genes’ efficacy in sugarcane.”

“With CTC’s support, our team and technology have identified leads that demonstrate significant biomass improvement in a relevant crop model and that have the potential to increase the yield and sustainability of the sugarcane crop,” said Mohammed Oufattole, vice president of R&D at Benson Hill Biosystems. “Now, CTC will focus on validating these leads in sugarcane in order to mobilize this technology for the benefit of its growers. Through cloud biology, even the most complex targets such as photosynthesis can be advanced with greater speed and efficiency and for a fraction of historical costs, enabling players of any size in any market to innovate.”