The Israeli genetics and seed company BetterSeeds has genetically redesigned the architecture of the lovia plant and the uniformity of the appearance of its pods in a way that is suitable for mechanized harvesting * The improved Lovia will be tested in the United States during the spring of 2023

BetterSeeds, the Agritech company that genetically improves agricultural crops by using genetic editing technology it has developed, announces that it has succeeded in genetically editing the Lovia plant so that it is suitable for mechanized harvesting. BetterSeeds will conduct field trials to grow the improved lovia legume in the USA during 2023 in order to test its suitability for growing on a commercial scale.

Lovia is the oldest agricultural crop known to man. The high level of protein in its seeds, its tolerance to heat and the low consumption of water and fertilizer make this legume particularly resistant to climate changes in addition to its enormous nutritional and agricultural value. Soybean, the small crop that is most commonly grown, requires large amounts of water and fertilizer and grows only in a favorable climate. Due to global warming, the soybean crop is expected to decrease by about 30% over the next decade. On the other hand, beans are a sustainable crop and a source of vegetable protein that does not fall in quality and quantity from soy, and is a leading candidate to fill the void that will be created by the future lack of soy.

Before the aforementioned BetterSeeds breakthrough, the lovia was not suitable for mechanized harvesting and therefore could not be grown efficiently on a commercial scale. As a "never-ending" plant that spreads over the ground with a gradual appearance of pods, the harvest of the lovia is inefficient for mechanized harvesting, and as a result is mainly grown in areas where labor is cheap and harvested by hand. BetterSeeds managed to edit the garden changing the Lovia architecture to a final plant (upright) with a uniform appearance of pods. These are the two most important features to enable the mechanized harvesting of the bean. These features will allow farmers to grow the bean with high efficiency on a commercial scale, and maximize the use of their land for crops throughout the year. BetterSeeds continues to improve the bean with additional essential features by Genetic editing where the next trait is resistance to herbicides.

Better Seeds, which is one of the Smart Agro Fund's portfolio companies, proves that improved genetics in agricultural crops is the key to the solution of ensuring food supply for the growing world population in the shadow of climate change. The company uses its unique genomic editing technology EDGE^TM (Efficient Delivery of Gene Editing), which enables the application of CRISPR technology in a wide variety of agricultural crops. With the help of EDGE^TM It is possible to develop new varieties in a wide portfolio of crops with new and vital properties that are not available today due to the limited use of the CRISPR technology.

Ido Margalit, CEO BetterSeeds: "If I had to choose to focus on one crop - it would undoubtedly be the bean, because climate change will lead to a shortage of plant protein supply, especially soy. The bean has the ability to fill this gap, depending on its improvement and suitability for growing on a commercial scale. This is exactly what BetterSeeds Beans will help feed the world! BetterSeeds is committed to providing improved crops that will solve the problem of global food insecurity come. I believe that Tersides will make a huge difference."

More of the topic in Hayadan:

• New research turns lettuce into a "super food"
• A high-yielding sesame adapted for mechanized harvesting is developed
• Which diet harms the environment less: vegetarian, vegan or carnivore?
• The first collaboration between Batresides and the Volcanic Institute will enable the development of allergen-free peanuts through genetic editing