The BioAg Alliance Readies New Seed Coatings to Help Farmers Achieve Better Harvests

January 4, 2018

Strong R&D Pipeline of Microbial Products Aims to Boost Crop
Yields and Fight Pests

COPENHAGEN, Denmark & ST. LOUIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The BioAg Alliance, Monsanto’s and Novozymes’ collaboration to improve
crop harvests through products containing naturally-occurring microbes,
today announced an updated research and development pipeline.

Among the highlights is the Corn BioYield 2 project, which advanced to
Phase 4 (pre-commercial) in The BioAg Alliance R&D pipeline and is
expected to be branded as Acceleron B-360 ST, pending regulatory
approvals. Acceleron B-360 ST promotes symbiosis between microbes and
corn plants to strengthen root systems and increase plants’ access to
nutrients. Acceleron B-360 ST will be used in combination with the
successful Acceleron B-300 SAT, which was introduced in 2017 and used by
U.S. farmers on more than 4 million corn acres in its first year.
Acceleron B-300 SAT is expected to be applied to between 8-10 million
acres in 2018, while Acceleron B-360 ST is scheduled to enter the market
in 2019.

Biological seed treatments such as Acceleron B-300 SAT help plants build
healthy root systems, which enable more efficient uptake of nutrients
into the plant. The increase in nutrient uptake results in a decrease in
the release of those nutrients into the environment, either via runoff
into water supplies or into the air. The increases in plant biomass can
help to sequester carbon into the soil, particularly in microbes that
promote root development. The result is pulling carbon dioxide out of
the air and storing it in the soil.

The BioAg Alliance also announced the achievement of a significant
milestone in the Corn BioYield 3 project. Over the past four years,
researchers have screened thousands of microbes across multiple sites to
find out which microbes deliver the highest increase in crop yield. A
small group of top performers have now been selected for commercial
evaluation and development.

“The BioAg Alliance sets a very high bar for success through a
challenging and unique field testing program where microbes are selected
by consistently outperforming thousands of other microbes in real
application conditions across several years and in diverse
environments,” says Tom Adams, Monsanto Vice President of Global
Biotechnology. “Our field testing program is not only generating novel
product leads, but also providing insight into microbe and environment
relationships, which will help lead to precision agriculture solutions
in the future.”

Projects in the soy pipeline also progressed. The Soy BioYield 2 project
is expected to lead to a product for the North American market and a
product for South America. Both products contain bacteria that increase
soybeans’ uptake of nitrogen leading to improved plant health and more
bountiful harvests. The Soy BioNematicide project is researching a new
biological way to control soybean cyst nematodes, a parasitic roundworm
that attacks the roots of soybeans and is a devastating pest worldwide
causing stunted growth and severe loss of yield. The project has now
shown efficacy for four consecutive years.

“Nature’s toolbox of beneficial bacteria and fungi can help us produce
healthier crops with higher yields while reducing the need for
fertilizer and other chemicals,” says Ejner Bech Jensen, Novozymes’ Vice
President for BioAg Research. “Our understanding of microbes and their
symbiotic relationships with plants is evolving rapidly, and we have
exciting products coming to market over the coming years in both the
bioyield and biocontrol segments.”

In addition to the pipeline updates, The BioAg Alliance announced it is
preparing for expansion into Europe. Today, The BioAg Alliance products
are primarily sold in North and South America, but in 2019-20 the
Alliance plans to launch products for growers of corn, oilseed rape and
wheat in European markets. The products will mainly be based on
Acceleron B-300 SAT and Acceleron B-360 ST technologies.

The BioAg Alliance biological products are derived from
naturally-occurring microbes such as bacteria and fungi. The Alliance
aims to produce bioyield products, which help plants with nutrient
uptake, and biocontrol products, which help protect plants against pests
and diseases. The products can be applied to seeds before planting, to
soil in-furrow, or to growing crops. They can be used by farmers that
grow broad-acre crops such as corn and soy, and on fruits and
vegetables. Microbial products can increase crop yields and complement
or replace agricultural chemicals and fertilizers, while helping farmers
reduce the amount of CO2 produced from their land.

The BioAg Alliance 2018 pipeline update was announced as part of
Monsanto’s annual pipeline update. For more information, go to www.monsanto.com/pipeline.

Pipeline Highlights

Corn BioYield 2, expected to be branded as Acceleron B-360 ST pending
regulatory approvals, harnesses the signal molecule LCO
(lipo-chitooligosaccharide) that promotes beneficial plant-microbe
interactions, such as symbiotic relationships between soil fungi and
plants. Beneficial soil fungi colonizes the roots to increase the
crop's ability to uptake nutrients and water. This project advanced to
Phase 4 in The BioAg Alliance R&D pipeline.
The Soy BioYield 2 project is based on the beneficial soil bacteria bradyrhizobium.
The bacteria and the soybean plants enter a symbiotic relationship
which increases nutrient uptake for the plant and increases yield.
This project advanced to Phase 3 in The BioAg Alliance R&D pipeline.
The Soy BioNematicide project is expected to provide an additional
tool for growers to control nematodes, microscopic parasitic worms
that damage plants. It shows activity against multiple nematode
species, including the soybean cyst nematode. The Alliance will
continue field tests to confirm efficacy in combination with a range
of other chemical and biological seed treatments. This project
advanced to Phase 3 in The BioAg Alliance R&D pipeline.
The Corn BioYield 3 project – The BioAg Alliance is testing multiple
microbial strains for a new corn inoculant. The Corn BioYield 3
project is anticipated to be the first product invented and developed
from discovery to launch through The BioAg Alliance.

About The BioAg Alliance

First announced in December 2013, the BioAg Alliance is unique in the
industry, bringing together Novozymes’ BioAg operations and capabilities
within microbial discovery, development and production with Monsanto’s
microbial discovery, advanced biology, field testing and commercial
capabilities. The result is a comprehensive discovery, development and
commercial collaboration to help farmers globally meet the challenge of
producing more with less in a sustainable way – for the benefit of
agriculture, consumers, the environment and society at large.

About Novozymes

Novozymes is the world leader in biological solutions. Together with
customers, partners and the global community, we improve industrial
performance while preserving the planet’s resources and helping build
better lives. As the world’s largest provider of enzyme and microbial
technologies, our bioinnovation enables higher agricultural yields,
low-temperature washing, energy-efficient production, renewable fuel and
many other benefits that we rely on today and in the future. We call it
Rethink Tomorrow. www.novozymes.com

About Monsanto Company

Monsanto is committed to bringing a broad range of solutions to help
nourish our growing world. We produce seeds for fruits, vegetables and
key crops – such as corn, soybeans, and cotton – that help farmers have
better harvests while using water and other important resources more
efficiently. We work to find sustainable solutions for soil health, help
farmers use data to improve farming practices and conserve natural
resources, and provide crop protection products to minimize damage from
pests and disease. Through programs and partnerships, we collaborate
with farmers, researchers, nonprofit organizations, universities and
others to help tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges. To learn
more about Monsanto, our commitments and our more than 20,000 dedicated
employees, please visit monsanto.com. Follow our business on Twitter® at twitter.com/MonsantoCo.

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