Davis, Calif., & Clewiston, Fla.—Agriculture technology developer Arcadia Biosciences Inc. and the U.S. Sugar Corp. have signed an agreement to develop nitrogen use efficient (NUE) and water efficient (WE) sugarcane. Under the terms of the agreement, U.S. Sugar – one of the nation’s largest sugarcane and refined cane sugar producers, with 8 percent of all U.S. production – receives exclusive rights to the use of Arcadia’s NUE and WE technologies. According to Arcadia, the technology enables crops to maintain high yields while requiring significantly reduced levels of nitrogen. A fairly water-intensive crop, sugarcane will also benefit from WE technology, which protects yields and reduces water resource requirements. Projections are that with U.S. Sugar’s integrated breeding, production, and processing, the result could be a high-yielding sugarcane that could require about half the amount of nitrogen as conventional sugarcane. Efficient use of nitrogen will also significantly contribute to higher yields whereas at present in some areas sugarcane can be among the most nitrogen-intensive crops grown.
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