BioLumic Expands Light-Activated Corn Technology to South America Through Key Brazilian Partnerships

BioLumic has announced the expansion of its Corn xTraits Licensing Program into South America through early-stage evaluations with GDM and a collaboration with Tropical Melhoramento & Genética (TMG), two of Brazil's leading seed companies. The agricultural biotechnology company, which programs heritable seed traits using light, will also engage in regional seed production and nursery activities with Gro Alliance. This expansion follows successful implementation in the United States and aligns with BioLumic's strategy to create xTraits hubs in major grain-producing regions worldwide.

CEO Steve Sibulkin emphasized that South American deployment is essential to meet global demand for innovative seed technologies. The company's seed partners recognize an opportunity to drive higher performance in significantly less time and at lower cost compared to alternative approaches. GDM's current engagement focuses on testing BioLumic's technology within its own genetics as part of early-stage evaluations, while TMG will provide regional breeding expertise to accelerate field evaluation and adapt the xTraits Platform for South America's top-producing corn regions.

Grupo Scheffer, one of Brazil's largest agricultural producers and a preferred customer of TMG, will conduct multi-location field evaluations across its testing network including Mato Grosso and surrounding grain geographies. This alignment between seed companies and their major customer creates a direct pathway to validate BioLumic corn xTraits and ensures regional farmers gain access to these innovations through trusted partners. Tomas Tresca, Global NGT Traits Business Partner at GDM, expressed enthusiasm about exploring BioLumic's technology within their genetics as part of early-stage testing, noting this represents an important step toward understanding how light-activated traits could enhance performance and complement breeding strategies.

Off-season nursery activities in Chile will 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 expansion aligned to partner commercial strategies. The company is currently evaluating inbred germplasm provided by its Brazilian partners, with field evaluations and hybrid nursery production scheduled for 2026. These light-activated hybrids will be tested across both Brazil's first "Safra" and second "Safrinha" growing seasons to evaluate performance across major growing cycles and key grain-producing regions.

Data generated through 2026 and into 2027 will support commercial launch timing aligned to partner strategies for bringing new corn xTraits to market. Anderson Meda, Head of Research and Development – Biotechnology and Genetics at TMG, noted that TMG is evaluating BioLumic's light-activation technology with interest, recognizing its potential to complement efforts to enhance stability and performance in corn hybrid development, particularly in environments where rapid product advancement adds value for growers. BioLumic anticipates future expansion into soybean and ryegrass across Latin America following the corn program's implementation. More information about the company's technology is available at https://www.biolumic.com.