Singapore: Dow AgroSciences, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, and the Australian Center for Plant Functional Genomics (ACPFG) entered into a crop improvement research, option and license agreement to discover and develop new traits for crop improvement.

Dr Daniel R Kittle, global leader, R&D, Dow AgroSciences, said that, "Dow AgroSciences is a significant company in grain development and production. This collaboration will mean that Australian growers have greater access to international resources and know-how. It will help us to ensure food-security and manage the adverse effects of climate variability."

He further said that, "We're excited to partner with the scientists at ACPFG. As a leader in plant genetics and genomics research, ACPFG has key capabilities in understanding the basic mechanisms of how plants respond to stress. Together, we have the potential to bring valuable new solutions to the agricultural market and farmers around the world."

Under terms of the agreement, both ACPFG and Dow AgroSciences will utilize their trait discovery and development capabilities to create plants with improved environmental stress response and agronomic performance.

Mr Dale Baker, chairman, ACPFG, said that, "Dow AgroSciences is a significant company in grain development and production. This collaboration will mean that Australian growers have greater access to international resources and know-how. It will help us to ensure food-security and manage the adverse effects of climate variability. The support of our core funders has been instrumental in attracting Dow to Australia."