b'UV Light Treatment Shines a Bright Future for Row Crop SeedsIts time to shed some light on seeds. UV light, that is.Kristi CoxBIOLUMIC RECENTLYpartnered with Gro Alliance toVarying combinations of UV wavelength and exposure bring Ultraviolet light-activated seed treatments to a com- time result in different possible treatments for seeds. Wargent mercial scale. The right recipe of UV light exposure can triggerexplains there are an estimated at least 2.5 billion possible seed desirable results in crops such as altered nutritional profiles, pesttreatments that can be created with BioLumics platform.and disease resistance, and increased yields. BioLumics cur- The company has now completed early-stage trials on about rent target is to see a 10% yield increase in crops grown froma dozen crops and developed a streamlined process for deter-UV-treated seeds over crops from conventionally treated seeds.mining a new treatment in a new crop. The process is as follows: Theres science background around UV signaling in scientific1.Screen for existing genes that are responsive to light recipes literature, explains Jason Wargent, BioLumics founder and chiefin a target crop.science officer. [Seeds have] photoreceptors specific to UV. We2. Run trial UV light treatments on sample seeds.know that the capability of the signaling is so vast that many3. Plant treated seeds.different things can be turned on, just through the UV signaling4. Survey the resulting plants gene expression at the early pathways in plants.emergence stage of growth.Wargent founded BioLumic after studying the effects of UV5. Field test seeds that show the teams desired gene light on plants for his masters degree and Ph.D.expression.Biolumics initial work was on clonally reproduced plants like6. Build and apply models of relationships between gene strawberries, but Wargent says he was impressed to find theexpression markers and desired traits.treatments also worked on seeds. The company focused on soy- 7. Record the light treatment recipes that displayed desired bean seeds first and then added corn, knowing that row cropstraits to use again with specific crop variety/genetics. are a key focus in the seed market. Measuring growth responses in soybean and corn seedlings after receiving in-seed UV light treatment.PHOTO: LOTTIE HEDLEY24/ SEEDWORLD.COMDECEMBER 2023'