BioLumic is expanding its light-activated seed trait platform into South America.
Biolumic, which programs heritable seed traits using light, has announced steps to expand its Corn xTraits™ Licensing Program, including early-stage evaluations with GDM and a collaboration with Tropical Melhoramento & Genética (TMG), two of Brazil’s leading seed companies, along with regional seed production and nursery engagement with Gro Alliance. The move builds on strong partnership and commercial momentum of xTraits in the United States, and follows BioLumic’s plan to create xTraits hubs in grain-producing regions worldwide.
“To meet the global demand and reach of innovative seed partners and their customers, South American deployment is essential,” said Steve Sibulkin, CEO of BioLumic. “Our seed partners see an opportunity to drive higher performance in a fraction of the time and cost of alternative approaches.”
GDM’s current engagement is focused on testing BioLumic’s technology within its own genetics as part of early-stage evaluations. BioLumic will leverage TMG’s regional breeding expertise to accelerate field evaluation and adapt its xTraits Platform for South America’s top-producing corn regions. Grupo Scheffer, one of Brazil’s largest agricultural producers and a preferred customer of TMG, will also run multi-location field evaluations across its testing network including Mato Grosso and surrounding grain geographies. This alignment between seed companies and one of their major customers creates a direct pathway to validate BioLumic corn xTraits and to ensure regional farmers get access to these types of innovations through trusted partners.
Sibulkin says they are currently evaluating the inbred germplasm provided by its Brazilian partners, with field evaluations and hybrid nursery production scheduled for 2026. “These light-activated hybrids will be tested across both the first “Safra” and second “Safrinha” growing seasons to evaluate performance across Brazil’s major growing cycles and key grain-producing regions, including partner-aligned test locations,” said Sibulkin. Data generated through 2026 and into 2027 will support commercial launch timing aligned to partner strategies for bringing new corn xTraits to market. The company expects future expansion into soybean and ryegrass across Latin America in the near future.
Learn more in this interview with Sibulkin.
Steve Sibulkin, BioLumic CEO 14:12