#Japan #Grand Green #Quantum Flowers #Smart Breeding #Mito, Ibaraki

Next-Generation Variety Development Service

Quantum Flowers & Foods (QFF), based in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, has initiated a collaboration with Grand Green, headquartered in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture. This partnership aims to harness neutron beam breeding technology and smart breeding platforms to structure an advanced variety development support service.

Joint Development Announcement

The partnership between QFF and Grand Green marks a significant step forward in the agricultural biotechnology field. QFF is known for its "Speedy Breeding®" technique, which is a non-GMO variety improvement method leveraging neutron radiation. Grand Green specializes in combining advanced technologies such as genome editing and genome analysis for seedling development and offers comprehensive variety development solutions that cater to the needs of the agriculture, food processing raw materials, and energy crops sectors.

The initial phase of their collaboration will focus on tomato variety development, combining QFF's neutron breeding expertise with Grand Green's substantial experience in crop variety development. The objective is to validate the effectiveness of this combined approach and establish grounds for future diversification into other crops and variety development services for third-party companies.

Background of the Collaboration

Presently, agriculture faces numerous challenges including climate change, diseases, and evolving consumer demands, making it crucial for crop varieties to exhibit higher functionality, stability, and adaptability. Developing groundbreaking varieties that meet these demands requires proactive creation of genetic diversity and an efficient evaluation and selection process. Traditional breeding methods may take considerable time to yield desirable traits, enhancing the demand for efficient variety development services that integrate mutation-inducing technologies with evaluation and selection.

QFF's expertise in utilizing neutron beams to induce diverse mutations supports the search for new useful traits in plants and microorganisms. Meanwhile, Grand Green employs its smart breeding platform, utilizing techniques such as genome analysis and acceleration methodologies, to ensure collaborative variety development services are tailored to specific crop challenges. Their goal is to accelerate the evaluation, selection, and breeding processes to create value across the entire supply chain of production, distribution, and consumption.

The Development Model

In this joint venture, the focus will be on creating a comprehensive variety development process for tomatoes using QFF's neutron breeding techniques and Grand Green's development insights. QFF's Speedy Breeding® aims to reveal the potential of crops by inducing various mutations that are typically hard to obtain through conventional methods.

In addition to creating mutations, it is vital for the breeding process to identify, assess, and select traits from the resulting candidates that align with specific goals — a task Grand Green has honed through years of practical experience.

Possible Application of "Pinpoint Breeding"

Moreover, this initiative may explore the applicability of pinpoint breeding techniques using neutron breeding technology. Pinpoint breeding endeavors to develop strains with specific traits using existing research that identifies genes, metabolic pathways, and physiological mechanisms contributing to beneficial characteristics. By utilizing techniques like neutron irradiation to create diverse candidate strains, they will select those that exhibit desirable mutations.

Goals of the Joint Development

The primary goals of this joint development initiative are to:
1. Validate a variety development service that combines neutron breeding technology with smart breeding platforms.
2. Efficiently create useful tomato strains.
3. Establish a pinpoint breeding approach based on existing research and genome analysis.
4. Build a collaborative development service that integrates the mutation process with evaluation, selection, and commercialization.

Future Developments

Both companies intend to collect insights from their joint efforts and examine the applicability of their findings to crops beyond tomatoes. The aim is to adapt their services to meet the needs of various sectors, including food production and material development, catering to enterprises that are engaged in agriculture and biotechnology.

Through this collaboration, QFF and Grand Green aspire to make significant contributions to sustainable agriculture and expedite the development of innovative crop varieties.