Bioceres Crop Solutions has entered into a collaboration with the Israel-based gene discovery biotech company PlantArcBio regarding the development of improved biomass and drought tolerant alfalfa. As part of the collaboration, PlantArcBio has granted Bioceres exclusive worldwide licensing rights to its biomass and drought resistance genes for alfalfa. Utilising these genes, Bioceres intends to develop and commercialise new alfalfa varieties featuring new traits. The genes, which were discovered by PlantArcBio in soil samples taken from the Dead Sea, have reportedly demonstrated a positive impact on biomass increase and drought resistance in several crops including alfalfa. Bioceres recently received approval for its HB4 drought tolerant soybeans in Canada (see AgbioNews Jun 2, 2021).