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UV light treatment technology enhances corn lines

BioLumic is partnering with several seed companies to use its light-activated technology to improve corn productivity.

CEO Steve Sibulkin says the technology uses UV light signaling to rapidly activate natural genetic expression in plants to improve yield, quality, and performance.  “We’re not changing the underlying genetics themselves,” he says. “We work with biotech crops and non-biotech crops. This is simply a trait that is genetic expression focused, which means that it’s quicker to develop and it doesn’t have some of the regulatory hurdles that other innovations have.”

He tells Brownfield because BioLumic’s Genetic Expression Trait™ light-activated technology doesn’t use genetic modification, it doesn’t have to go through the multi-year regulatory process. 

Sibulkin says with lower commodity prices and rising input costs, having access to new technology that increases efficiency is crucial. “Fertilizer prices and herbicide costs and seed costs are just absolutely dominant variable costs for a grower,” he says.  “Our technology, we believe, can reduce all of those variable costs for a grower so they can maintain their profitability.”

BioLumic is partnering with Beck’s Hybrids, Peterson Corn Genetics, Peterson Farms Seed, Breeder Direct, and other seed companies to advance corn hybrids using the technology.  The technology is being commercialized for inbred and hybrid corn cultivars, and there are plans for light-treated seed will be available to farmers for the 2025 planting season.

AUDIO: Steve Sibulkin, BioLumic

Photo courtesy of BioLumic.