b'A look at seed industry developments around the globe.Canada modernizes seedSTATUS CANADA STATUS Sum and Kale grew faster and certification system and aBlue Tag Solutions, a newlySOUTH AFRICA largershowing increases in created and separatelySouth Africa brought theshoot biomass, leaf area and win for Hemp producers inincorporated subsidiary of2018 Plant Improvement Actplant heightwhile using South Africa the Canadian Seed Growersinto force Dec. 1, 2025, replac- more than 15% less bioferti-Association, is being set uping a 1976-era system andliser than conventional soil to accelerate modernizationupdating how the countryinoculation.of the certified seed systemmanages plant varieties,The idea tackles a common through AI-enabled verifica- seed quality and commercialbottleneck in biofertiliser use: tion and digital traceability.cultivation. The law creates awhen microbes are applied Its aim is to support real-timenational plant variety listing,to soil, many never reach the identification, automatedsets quality standards forroots and must compete with quality checks and fully digitalseed and propagating mate- native microbes or struggle tracking of seed lotsaddingrial and requires registrationin unfavorable soil conditions. new data-driven services onof businesses that produce orBy placing beneficial microbes top of the existing certifica- sell those materials, while alsointo plant tissue, the method tion framework. covering variety evaluationimproves early establishment The companys first majorand import/export oversight. and makes the delivered dose initiative is a partnership withAlthough it applies to allmore predictable. The patches ZoomAgri, an ag-tech firmcrops, the change is especiallyare made from a biodegrad-that uses machine learningimportant for industrial hemp.able polymer that forms tiny and high-speed 360 imag- Together with South Africasneedles, which dissolve quickly ing to identify seed varieties2022 recognition of hemp as aafter insertion and release the quickly from a small sample.protectable variety, it estab- microbes with minimal lasting In Canada, the initial focus islishes a clearer legal founda- stress to the plant.building a digitized referencetion for a hemp industry builtThe team tested patches dataset for Canadian wheaton certified seed, traceabilityloaded with plant growthvarieties, which would enableand regulated market access,promoting bacteria (includ-faster and more consistentrather than ad hoc permits.ing Streptomyces and varietal verification and layOfficials expect the strongerAgromyces-Bacillus) and groundwork for broader digi- system to improve seed reli- found the treatment outper-tal infrastructure across theability and help producersformed soil-applied microbes sector.especially smaller farmersand untreated controls. Beyond wheat, the tech-enter mainstream markets,Growth gains increased as nology is positioned to helpbut industry groups note thatmore microbes were loaded reduce testing costs, lowerreal progress will still dependinto each patch until reaching certification risk, strengthenon follow-through on keya point where extra microbes identity-preserved programsdetails such as THC thresholdsno longer improved growth, and create new tools forand cultivation permissions.helping identify the lowest breeders and seed companies(Source: Hemp Today) effective dose to cut costs to protect and manage intel- and waste. They also tracked lectual property. Over time,microbes moving from Blue Tag Solutions plans toSTATUS SINGAPORE treated leaves to roots within expand to other crops such asResearchers at the Nationaldays, where they shifted the pulses and soybeans, with aUniversity of Singapore cre- root microbiome toward a longer-term goal of a cross- ated dissolving microneedlemore beneficial balance and crop Canadian digital identitypatches that deliver livingimproved signs of nutrient-use dataset that can connect withbiofertiliser microbes directlyefficiency and stress readi-emerging traceability systemsinto plant leaves or stemsness. Similar benefits were and support timelier, identity- instead of adding them to soil.shown with a beneficial fungal assured value chains. In greenhouse tests, Choystrain delivered via patch.44/ SEEDWORLD.COMFEBRUARY 2026'