BioLumic, the world’s only company treating seeds with light to activate genetic expression for new crop traits, has achieved a significant breakthrough in enhancing inbred corn lines. These genetically 'pure' parent seeds are crucial for producing the high-performing hybrid seeds favored by most farmers.
In 2023, BioLumic achieved significant performance milestones in field trials and has now partnered with Beck's Hybrids, Peterson Corn Genetics, Peterson Farms Seed, Breeder Direct, and other seed companies. Through these collaborations, BioLumic aims to use its Genetic Expression Trait™ light-activated technology on a wide range of inbred and hybrid corn lines to enhance productivity. The inbred trials focus on improving germination, emergence, seedling vigor, yield, and hybrid seed quality—issues commonly associated with inbred seed corn breeding and production.
BioLumic uses ultraviolet (UV) light signaling, a scientifically-proven process, to rapidly activate natural genetic expression in plants for improved yield, quality, and plant defense traits without genetic modification or chemical additives. This technology is being commercialized for both inbred and hybrid corn cultivars, with plans for light-treated seeds to be available to farmers for the 2025 planting season.
“By activating Genetic Expression Traits in corn parent lines and showing the ability to lock in those traits to hybrid corn progeny without any ensuing treatments, our UV light technology is rewriting the playbook for seed production,” said Steve Sibulkin, BioLumic CEO. “It eliminates years of trait identification and breeding work for driving yield, quality, and plant health without the multi-year regulatory process associated with genetic modification.”
Field corn production in the United States is dominated by high-yielding hybrid cultivars bred from crossing genetically pure inbred seed lines to target specific traits. However, inbreeding depression—characterized by reduced germination, poor seedling emergence and vigor, and increased susceptibility to environmental stressors—often results in reduced yields and poor hybrid seed quality during seed production.
BioLumic’s light treatments for inbred seed are tailored to solve these problems. In 2023 trials, treated inbred corn lines with the stand establishment and yield trait package demonstrated a more than 7.3% yield gain without any changes compared to the grower’s standard practice. The company is targeting double-digit yield gains this year. These improvements in inbred uniformity and yield were driven by enhanced early-season germination and increased seedling vigor, including an average 16% advantage in root biomass.
BioLumic’s Genetic Expression Traits can also be stacked together as trait packages to target multiple traits, such as improved stand establishment, yield, and composition (e.g., lipid content).
“Through our partnership with BioLumic, we are integrating this unique technology into our hybrid and inbred corn lines, evaluating BioLumic’s trait performance on some of our most promising germplasm this season,” said Marc Neuman, Director of Sales and Product Development at Breeder Direct. “Our mission is to deliver elite genetics that give our seed company clients improved margin opportunity. BioLumic’s ability to improve the yield potential of germplasm that is already outstanding creates a big opportunity for us and independent seed companies.”
BioLumic is set to commercialize Genetic Expression Traits for both inbred and hybrid corn in partnership with Gro Alliance in Q1 2025. The company is actively collaborating with genetics providers to develop new traits for their cultivars. Additionally, BioLumic is advancing trait development of soybean parent lines, with initial trials commencing this year.
