b'The Headlines Business | People | Policy | Product | ResearchSubmissions welcome: news@issuesink.comBUSINESSCIBUS ACHIEVES MILESTONES FOR TWO NEW GENE-EDITED TRAITSCibus announced significant milestones in developing two new critical traits for rice. In helping provide tolerance to two separate classes of herbicides, each trait has the prom-ise to increase crop yields and quality for farmers and reduce harmful environmental impacts, the company said. Field trials for these traits are planned in 2020. PROTEIN INDUSTRIES CANADA INVESTS TO IMPROVE PROTEIN CONTENT IN CANADIAN CANOLAProtein Industries Canada, along with industry partners, announced an investment of more than $27 million into a canola breeding project focused on making canola hybrids that produce high protein meal for downstream use. This is the first commercial breeding project focused specifically on protein quality improvement. The con-sortium, led by Corteva Agriscience, will invest $14.05 million, with a $13.6 million investment from Protein Industries Canada. Genetics from Cortevas breeding pro-grams and public sector sources, such as Agriculture andprocedure applicable to GMOs. This may lead in practice Agri-Food Canada, will identify genes that result in highto withdraw the varieties concerned from the catalog and protein and reduced fibre. to suspend their cultivation.PEOPLE SOLYNTA GRANTED U.S. PATENT FOR HYBRID TRUE POTATO SEED CSTA ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM EXECUTIVEDEVELOPMENTDIRECTOR The Netherlands-based Solynta, a breeder of hybrid The Canadian Seed Trade Association (CSTA) board ofpotato cultivars produced from true potato seed, directors has appointed Tyler McCann as interim executiveannounced the grant of U.S. Patent Serial No. 10,524,436 director. McCann is a senior associate with T. Bjornsonentitled Hybrid Potato Breeding. The patent claims and Associates (B&A), an Ottawa-based consulting firmSolyntas methods of producing potato inbreds and that works exclusively in the agriculture and food space.hybrids that are propagated from true seed. Hybrid True Potato Seed (HTPS) has many advantages over the POLICY current potato supply chain practice of using last years FRENCH COURT RULES GENE EDITING MUST BE REGULATED THEpotato tubers as starting material, the company said. SAME AS GM TECHNOLOGY Using hybrid breeding potato crop improvement becomes A French court has ruled that organisms obtained bymore predictable allowing for quick insertion of naturally certain mutagenesis techniques must be subject to theoccurring traits including drought, pest and disease resist-regulations relating to genetically modified organismsances. This in turn enables the reduction of pesticide use (GMOs). In particular, it encourages government toand increases the overall sustainability of the crop.modify the environmental code to identify within the catalog of varieties of agricultural plants those which havePRODUCTbeen obtained by mutagenesis and which should haveNEW HYDRANGEA VARIETIES TO BE SOLD IN CANADAbeen subjected to the evaluations applicable to GMOs andSyngenta Flowers and HI Breeding BV announced a better assess the risks associated with varieties of plantsnew agreement where Syngenta Flowers will exclusively made tolerant to herbicides. As part of the decision, themarket and sell HI Breeding hydrangea varieties in the court gives the French government six months to amendUnited States and Canada. Syngenta Flowers will produce article D. 531-2 of the environmental code. GovernmentHI Breeding hydrangea unrooted cuttings at their farm in will also have to identify, within nine months, the varie- Alva, Florida.ties of agricultural plants obtained by mutagenesis which have been registered in the official catalog of cultivatedBAYER UNVEILS SEED ADVISORplants without having been subject to the risk assessmentIn its latest pipeline update, Bayer has introduced Seed 62GERMINATION.CAMARCH 2020'