Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 148DECEMBER 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM / 35 “We’ve advanced very rapidly and have identified some candidate genes that we're working with,” Sharbel says. “Proof of concept is where we're at right now. … We’ll know within six months or so if the genes are actually working.” Sharbel and his team are using a GMO approach in their current testing, but ultimately the goal is to use other biotechnologies such as genome editing, which essentially allows scientists to target muta- tions in a plant’s DNA and does not involve genetic transformation. “We need to identify by using proof of concept whether we can get the trait to work, and that can be a genetically modified approach because it's not going to market,” he says. “Once we identify whether we can get it to work, then the question is ‘how do you engineer it into crops?’” “What's likely to happen is non-GMO technologies will be used to introduce the trait into the crops. Therefore, you wouldn't run into consumers not wanting to consume GMOs or regulatory processes that apply to GMOs as well." High Risk Research Sharbel, who describes his work as “high risk,” says it’s difficult to predict the results of his testing, since apomixis is such a complicated form of reproduction. “It could work right away or it could take another five years or longer,” he notes, adding his team has simi- lar projects underway with other crops including corn, chickpeas and lentils, which are in different stages of development. If apomixis can be successfully applied to agricul- ture, Sharbel says, it would likely be a game changer for the seed industry. That’s because growers who now choose to buy pedigreed seed every year from seed suppliers could conceivably only have to buy seeds with the enhanced traits they’re seeking just once. “Think of apomixis as a switch to turn sex on or to turn sex off,” he says. “If we had that switch and we could use that, then the farmer would get his first generation hybrid seed [which produce] these hybrids that propagate clonally from then on. Those first generation hybrids will produce genetic copies Tim Sharbel is a world leader in the study of asexual seed production known as apomixis. Designed to apply over-treatments, powder applications or primary treatments, the U-Batch™ Treater has the ability to upgrade every bag of seed you sell, providing you an even higher rate of return. With a seed capacity from 100 lbs. all the way up to 2,500 lbs., U-Batch treats almost any type of seed and is ideal for blending cover crops. With U-Batch your productivity and potential for income is unrestricted. Engineered with a compact footprint, this may easily be the most profitable 64 square feet of your operation. Contact us today at 866.729.1623 or visit us online at www.USCLLC.com UNLOCKTHEMOSTPROFITABLE 64SQUAREFEET OFYOUROPERATION 2320 124th Road • Sabetha, Kansas 66534 Ph. 866.729.1623 • www.USCLLC.com USC-101B.indd 1 7/1/16 11:10 AM