Seed-X and Gro Alliance announced a new collaboration to bring Seed-X’s AI-powered seed improvement technology to commercial scale with a new service center in Salinas, California, according to a Jan. 10 press release from the two companies.
The collaboration leverages Gro Alliance’s experience as North America’s largest independently owned contract seed corn and soybean seed production company with agri-food tech company Seed-X’s new smart AI-based technology.
Gro Alliance will operate the service center and be the main customer contact, using its expertise in seed handling, logistics and services. Seed-X will contribute its GeNee technology, which uses deep learning-enabled AI to analyze each individual seed within any seed lot to eliminate low-quality seeds.
“The client can specify what attributes are preferred and the deep learning algorithm can be calibrated for that exact use case,” said Sarel Ashkenazi, CEO and founder of Seed-X in the release. “This goes well beyond sorting seed by external images alone. The proprietary GeNee technology examines the internal characteristics of each seed to determine viability, genetic makeup and can even distinguish between hybrid and inbred seeds.”
The partnership is designed to support vegetable seed companies in the region looking to improve quality, purity, germination rates and viability in their high-value seed lots.
“This collaboration empowers customers to elevate the quality of their seed lots, minimize unsold inventory, optimize production, and ultimately boost sales and profitability,” said the release.
Gro Alliance has experience in vegetable seed via CIS Alliance, its joint venture in Chile, where it offers contra-season nursery services for multiple crops including vegetables.
“Extending that expertise to seed lot improvement in the U.S. aligns with our strategic vision to continue to diversify the business by adding new, high-value, third-party services to support the global seed industry,” said Jim Schweigert, president of Gro Alliance, in the release.
The service center’s opening is scheduled for late summer 2024. Gro Alliance is already accepting seed lot bookings for the service center.
