b'A look at seed industry developments around the globe.India looks to new tillageSTATUS INDIA itafter rice harvest, to clearits MetaYield program, is practices, while the UKsCompared to conventionalfields for sowing wheat. Strawaimed to be commercialized tillage practices, sowingremoval and burning degradescommencing in 2022.Plant and Bean opens thewheat directly into just- soil fertility and creates aAccording to statistics, largest plant-based meatharvested rice fields withoutnoxious cloud that affectspublished by Israeli Medical processing facility in theburning or removing straw orthe livelihoods and health ofCannabis Agency, in 2020 other residues will not onlymillions in cities and villagesthere are approximately UK. reduce pollution in New Delhidownwind. Air pollution is the75,000 active patients in Israel and other parts of north- second leading contributor tothat consume a total of roughly ern India, but will save overdisease in India, and studies30 tons of cannabis per year, $130 per hectare in farmerattribute some 66,000 deathswhich translate to $220 million expenses, lessen irrigationyearly to breathing in airborneper year. Based on current needs by as much as 25%,nano-particles produced bygrowth rates, according to and allow early planting ofagricultural burning. industry estimates the Israeli wheat to avoid yield-reducingThe central and statemarket will reach approxi-heat stress, according togovernments in northwesternmately 250,000 patients by a new study published inIndia, as well as universities2025.the International Journal ofand think-tanks, have put forthCanonic aims to market its Agricultural Sustainability. strategies to curtail burningmedical cannabis products The practice requires usethat include conservation till- under its own label to pharma-of a tractor-mounted imple- age technologies such as usecies and distributors in Israel. ment that opens grooves inof the Happy Seeder. SubsidiesCanonic intends to establish the soil, drops in wheat seedfor no-burn farming, as well asa value chain from genom-and fertilizer, and covers thestate directives and fines forics to the end product, with seeded row, all in one pass.straw burning, are in place andcertain parts of the value chain This contrasts with the typicalextension agencies are pro- outsourced to sub-contractors method for planting wheatmoting no-burn alternatives. such as cultivation, production after rice, which involves firstSource: CIMMYT and distribution. Canonic aims burning rice residues, followedto focus on aspects in which it by multiple tractor passes tohas a competitive advantage, plow, harrow, plank, and sow,STATUS ISRAEL such as the development of according to Harminder S.Canonic Ltd announced thatcannabis varieties seeds and Sidhu, principal research engi- it has signed its first com- seedlings.neer at the Borlaug Institutemercial agreement with aUnder the agreement, for South Asia (BISA) and alicensed medical cannabisCanonic expects to deliver co-author of the study. cultivator, Telcann Ltd, fora first batch of its medical Covering some 13.5 millionthe provision of plant growthcannabis seedlings to Telcann hectares, the Indo-Gangeticservices in Israel to Canonic.during 2021, originating from Plain stretches acrossWith this agreement, CanonicCanonics propagation farm, Bangladesh, India, Nepalhas completed the establish- which recently received IMC-and Pakistan and constitutesment of the major componentGAP approval from the IMCA. South Asias breadbasket. Inrequired for the productionThese seedlings are expected India, the northwestern stateinfrastructure of its medicalto be grown to maturity, of Punjab alone producescannabis products, MetaYieldharvested and processed by nearly a third of the countrysand Precise in Israel. CanonicTelcann and later transferred to rice and wheat. is expected to proceed witha third-party GMP production Some 2.5 million farm- the execution of its commer- facility for further processing ers in northern India practicecialization (go-to-market) planand preparation for marketing.rice-wheat cropping and mostof medical cannabis productsDr. Arnon Heyman, CEO burn their rice strawanin Israel under its own label.of Canonic states: We are estimated 23 million tons ofCanonics first product, frompleased to partner with 72/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2021'