NCBiotech Launches Crops Commercialization Center

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech) in the U.S. inaugurated a new initiative that aims to help expand the state's agricultural economy by developing more crop choices for farmers. With the help of partners worldwide, NCBiotech has established the Biotechnology Crops Commercialization Center, which targets potentially valuable crops that fit the state's climate and agribusiness conditions. Agri-biotech expert Alan Kriz is now the executive director of the commercialization center.

The primary focus of the commercialization center is to facilitate a new project called Swine Feed Project, which aims to reduce the import of swine feed from outside the state. One of the crops under study is sorghum, which produces corn-like grains not typically grown in the state.

"The tools of biotechnology have become integral to agriculture. They allow us to see markers that serve as ‘ID cards' for selecting plants or animals ideal for breeding. We can use polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, technology to analyze genetic traits of interest. Biotech will help us continue to improve everything from corn to switchgrass. And, eventually, maybe we'll develop even more productive North Carolina sorghum, " explained Kriz.

For more information, visit http://nctechnews.com/2012/07/18/agricultural-technology/ncbiotech-launches-center-to-commercialize-new-crops/7552/.