Mahyco Seeds buys Arcadia's technology to develop NUE rice

Rice lines incorporating NUE technology showed double-digit increase in key plant performance and yield measures

Maharashtra-based seed company Mahyco Seeds today said it has bought technology from US-based agricultural technology company Arcadia Biosciences to develop Nitrogen Use Efficient (NUE) rice in India.

This was under an agreement signed by both firms in 2008, Mahyco Seeds said in a release issued here.

However, the company did not disclose the amount paid for the technology.

NUE technology significantly increased plant growth and yield in multiple rice lines developed by the company.

Rice lines incorporating NUE technology showed double-digit increases in key plant performance and yield measures.

"We hope that our collaboration with Arcadia on NUE rice will help farmers achieve better yields and improve their livelihoods," Mahyco Managing Director Raju Barwale said.

Rice is the world's second-largest crop, grown on 160 million hectares annually.

India has the world's largest rice growing area, with more than 44 million hectares grown annually.

Beyond NUE rice, Arcadia and Mahyco are also working on a number of other technologies and crops to increase farm productivity and reduce overall environmental impact in the region.

"NUE technology is an important step toward improving food security and the environmental footprint of agriculture in Southeast Asia," Arcadia President and CEO Eric Rey said.