PlantArcBio and Helix Sementes e Biotecnologia (Agroceres Group Company) Announce Licensing Collaboration to Advance High-Yield, Drought-Resilient Corn in South America
25 February 2026, Brazil: PlantArcBio, an ag-biotechnology company pioneering precision biology for better crop performance, and Helix Sementes e Biotecnologia, a corn and sorghum seed company within Agroceres Group, today announced a licensing collaboration to develop and commercialize novel corn traits designed to increase yield and improve drought resilience in key South American markets.
Under the agreement, Helix has licensed PlantArcBio’s proprietary genes associated with yield improvement and drought tolerance for application in corn. The collaboration will focus on integrating these genes into Helix’s elite corn germplasm and advancing product development for key South American corn producing countries as Brazil and Argentina.
The licensed genes were discovered by PlantArcBio using its patented DIP™ platform, which enables high throughput discovery of novel genes with strong and reproducible agronomic impact. In collaboration with Rallis India (a Tata enterprise), these genes were introduced into corn and demonstrated significant and consistent yield improvements under both irrigated and drought-stress conditions.
The collaboration with Helix advances this validated technology into elite corn germplasm for South American markets, accelerating the development of competitive commercial hybrids.
“We are pleased to partner with Helix, a strong regional player with deep expertise in corn breeding and commercialization,” said Dror Shalitin, CEO of PlantArcBio. “By combining our validated genetic technology with Helix’s elite commercial lines, this collaboration has the potential to deliver high-performing, climate-resilient corn hybrids that can make a real difference for growers across key South American countries.”
“A drought-resilient corn would be a major breakthrough for Brazilian growers, especially considering the climate conditions of our second yearly harvest”, said Urbano Ribeiral Jr., CFO of Agroceres Group. “Integrating PlantArcBio’s genes into our elite germplasm supports the development of competitive commercial corn hybrids for both grain and silage, with the goal of addressing key agronomic challenges faced by growers.”
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