German chemical firm BASF is partnering with Brazil’s Centro de Tecnologia Canavieira (CTC) to develop drought-tolerant and higher-yielding varieties of sugarcane. The pair are aiming to increase sugarcane yield by 25% over the next 10 years. BASF says this would result in an increase from an average of 80 tons per hectare to 100 tons per hectare.
The pair will use conventional breeding and biotechnology and attempt to incorporate herbicide-tolerant characteristics into the plants.
?The great leap in sugarcane quality and productivity that CTC and BASF start working on today will certainly support Brazil’s position as the leading global player in sugar, ethanol and energy,? says CTC CEO, Nilson Zaramella Boeta. Last month, BASF subsidiary, BASF Future Business said it is partnering with battery maker ReVolt Technology to accelerate the development of ReVolt’s zinc-air battery systems.
