82 / SEEDWORLD.COM OCTOBER 2018 INDUSTRY NEWS Delivering the people, industry, business and product news you need to know. Submissions are welcome. Email us at news@issuesink.com. A new way of engineering nitrogen fixation has been discovered by research team, bringing us one step closer to realizing the goal of engineering a range of crops to fix their own nitrogen. The collaborative Peking University – John Innes Centre team says that this exciting method will be useful for transforming complex systems from prokaryotes, such as bacteria, to eukaryotic hosts, such as plants. University of Kentucky plant pathology researchers have uncovered the function and placement of another component in a pathway that triggers plant disease resistance. This knowledge will allow scientists to help plants simultaneously defend themselves against a variety of pathogens which, in turn, could help crops. A little-studied plant cellular complex plays an essential role in a biological process, vacuole fusion, critical to plant growth and development, according to new research from North Carolina State University. The findings shed light on complex and important plant processes as well as on how plants may have adapted to respond to environmental signals. Purdue University scientists have discovered the switch in plants that turns off production of terpenoids, compounds that play roles in plant physiology and are used by humans in everything from fragrances and flavoring to biofuels and pharmaceuticals. Inspired by elements found in nature, researchers at the University of New Hampshire say the puzzle-like wavy structure of the delicate seed coat, found in plants such as succulents and some grasses, could hold the secret to creating new smart materials strong enough to be used in items like body armor, screens and airplane panels. Scientists at the University of York have identified a gene that helps seeds decide whether to germinate. The MFT gene stops seeds germinating in the dark or under shady conditions, where their chances of survival would be poor, according to new research. The study, conducted on Arabidopsis, increases the understanding of one of the most important stages in the life cycle of a plant and may help to improve the seed quality of agricultural crops in the future. Most cotton seeds found in individual seed lots are created equally, but not every seed has an opportunity to reach its full potential. Clemson precision agriculture engineer Kendall Kirk’s goal is to help more cotton seeds develop into profitable crops by understanding what factors are related to producing high-quality, high-yielding crops. He has received a grant from the South Carolina Cotton Board to study how in-field variability relates to cotton yield and fiber quality. A Purdue University study has uncovered mechanisms that lead to stem cell formation and maintenance in plants. The findings may one day allow scientists to manipulate stem cell production to increase biomass that can be used for biofuels or grain yield in plants like corn and soybeans. BUSINESS NEWS As of July 23, Zealquest Scientific Technology is the exclusive distributor of Agronomix Software’s AGROBASE Generation II Plant Breeding Software in China and Taiwan. Bayer opened a seed processing facility in Pochuiky, Zhytomyr, region. The new facility is the largest of its kind in Ukraine, and one of the largest in Europe. Investment in the new plant amounts to $200 million, and is part of a long-term investment into expanding Dekalb corn seed processing in Ukraine. One year after announcing a comprehensive long- term commitment to the NK seed brand, Syngenta reports growth across the NK organization. Cultura developed Primetics Seed Solutions to provide greater responsiveness to their global user base of Generation, a comprehensive seed management software. Primetics Seed Solutions focuses solely on