PlantArcBio (PAB), an Israeli agricultural biotechnology company specialising in gene discovery for row crops, has reported strong results from its first open-field corn trial. Plots carrying its lead drought-tolerance genes produced more than double the cob weight of untransformed controls, under both standard irrigation and severe drought conditions.
The 2026 trial, conducted in Israel, evaluated 200 plots across both inbred and hybrid corn with multiple replications under standard irrigation and severe, sustained drought from April to August. Corn carrying PlantArcBio's lead genes grew more vigorously and flowered uniformly, while control corn fell well behind. In the hybrid background, the treated corn displayed visibly greener leaves, and at harvest, total cob weight per plot more than tripled over the control under irrigation, with comparable gains under drought.
Across three lead gene events tested in advanced hybrid corn, kernel yield outperformed the control under both conditions, in some cases more than doubling drought-stressed yield.
A Platform Built for Field-Ready Traits
The genes were discovered through PlantArcBio's proprietary DIP™ (Direct In Plant) platform, which screens millions of genes directly in living plants under real stress conditions, rather than in laboratory dishes or computer simulations. According to the company, this approach surfaces field-ready candidates in months rather than years.
The company's technology stack consists of two IP-protected components: the DIP™ gene discovery platform and the DIPPER™ gene-editing optimisation tool. PlantArcBio collects gene pools from extreme environments—including microorganism samples from the Dead Sea—to identify traits that confer resilience under harsh conditions.
Strategic Partnerships and Commercial Trajectory
The open-field validation follows a February 2026 licensing agreement with Helix Sementes e Biotecnologia, a corn and sorghum seed company within Brazil's Agroceres Group. Under that agreement, Helix licensed PlantArcBio's proprietary yield and drought-tolerance genes for integration into elite corn germplasm, targeting key South American markets including Brazil and Argentina.
The collaboration with Helix builds on earlier work with Rallis India (a Tata enterprise), which demonstrated corn yield increases of 60–250% under drought conditions when using the same genes.
PlantArcBio has also established partnerships with global seed and agriculture leaders including KWS (Germany), TMG (Brazil), Bio-ceres (Argentina), and ToolGen (South Korea).
Leadership Perspective
"We are very encouraged by these results, especially at a time when global yields are facing severe pressure," said Dr. Dror Shalitin, founder and CEO of PlantArcBio. "Seeing the gains come through in an actual, replicated open-field trial, under both normal and drought conditions, is an important validation step for our platform and offers a real solution. We look forward to integrating these traits into companies' breeding programs to help tackle the world's growing food security challenge."
PlantArcBio is now engaging with seed companies and breeding programs to license its lead genes for integration into elite germplasm across geographies and hybrid backgrounds.
About PlantArcBio
Founded in 2014 and based in Givat Hen, Israel, PlantArcBio is an ag-biotech company focused on gene discovery and RNAi-based solutions for crop trait improvement and pest control. The company transitioned to a privately held company in January 2026, delisting from the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Its portfolio spans drought resistance, yield improvement, herbicide tolerance, and insect resistance across major row crops including corn, soybean, and cotton.