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Evogene to Collaborate with Vilmorin for Tomato Yield Improvement

02 Jun 2008 - Evogene Ltd. announced a collaboration with Vilmorin, a French seed breeder and the mother company of 'Hazera Genetics', to improve yield and yield stability in tomatoes. Under the agreement, Evogene has licensed to Vilmorin the rights to certain genes discovered by Evogene, which have demonstrated improved yield and yield stability in tomatoes. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
 
The candidate genes licensed to Vilmorin under this collaboration were discovered by Evogene using its advanced in-silico gene discovery technology, the 'ATHLETE'. These genes have already undergone three years of field trials in tomatoes, displaying consistent improvements in yield of over 20% under both normal and environmental stress conditions. Through the collaboration, Vilmorin will evaluate the influence of the licensed genes on yield improvement in its elite varieties.