BioLumic's first-to-market seed treatment tech goes commercial in USA

Business Desk profiles BioLumic’s leap from R&D to its first commercial contract in the United States. Field-trialed on 6,000 Midwest plots, light-activated hybrid corn averaged a 7.3% yield lift, with some second-generation plots hitting 77%. Partnering with US seed producer Gro Alliance, BioLumic is now selling light-activated seed at scale while moving its Light Recipe platform into ryegrass for New Zealand dairy, backed by fresh funding from Fonterra’s Ki Tua Fund and AgriZeroNZ. Founder Jason Wargent explains the science: precise light signals toggle existing plant genes, accelerating trait gains without genetic modification and sidestepping regulatory delays. Commercial machines housing 3,600 UV LEDs can already treat 2.5 tons of seed per hour, positioning BioLumic to capture a slice of the USA’s vast corn-seed market and to launch enhanced ryegrass by 2028.

Read the full article from Business Desk here: https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/startups/biolumics-first-to-market-seed-treatment-tech-goes-commercial-in-usa