Have you ever wondered how seeds are developed, or what goes into making a high performing crop?

You may be surprised to learn that typically it takes up to 10 years of crop trials before a superior seed is created and able to be produced for broadacre cropping.

The problem with this process is that field trials can be slow or expensive, and are often increasingly affected by climate variability.  

With the need to feed an ever-growing population, producing high quality seeds that grow into high-yielding crops is one way scientists and growers are looking to meet the demand.

GrainCorp Ventures recently invested in Calice, an Argentinian Ag-Tech startup that is set to transform crop breeding through its data modelling platform, NODES™.

NODES is an AI driven platform that integrates data science and bioinformatics – a fancy word for the use of technology to study and make sense of biological data like DNA – to analyse and predict specific crop performance.

The Computational Field Trials that NODES performs allows researchers to simulate thousands of real-world scenarios before stepping into the field.

Co-Founder and CEO of Calice, Ramiro Olivera says the platform uses a range of data, from genetics to soil types, to model crop behaviour leading to the production of seeds suited for specific climates.

“Computational Field Trials allow us to explore a vast number of possibilities before a single seed is planted,” says Ramiro.

“By modeling biological systems with AI, we enable agri-food and agri-industrial companies to move from reactive experimentation to proactive, data-driven innovation.”

GrainCorp’s Head of Investments Jordan Jeffery says Calice is a step in the right direction for Australian growers.

“Seed innovation is key to delivering improved productivity, crop resilience and environmental outcomes on-farm and Calice is key piece of this puzzle,” says Jordan.

“Calice has already had success in Latin American markets with early trials underway in Australia, building on Calice’s existing relationships with leading global businesses.”

Learn more about our Ventures portfolio here.