DuPont India launches agri-research center

Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont (NYSE: DD) said it expects to begin full operations of its crop genetics research and development in November.

The facility located in central India plans to focus on bringing new crop science innovations to the global market that boost production and lower costs for a variety of biofuels and biomaterial products.

Other recent developments in biomaterial research and engineering include efforts by Metabolix to create an optimized oilseed crop for producing bioplastics materials (see Metabolix to engineer oilseed crop for bioplastic).

DuPont subsidiary India DuPont said the new center plans to collaborate with The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and other agricultural research organizations to develop seed products that will increase productivity and bring down expenditure.

The initial focus for research at the facility would be on hybrid rice and maize, and eventually, the center plans to expand its areas of research. A number of research efforts have recently been focused on next-generation biofuels (see BP, Verenium to tackle next-gen biofuels).

The trait discovery work conducted at the Hyderabad facility is expected to help create advanced seeds to meet the growing demand for food production, improved animal feed products and ever-expanding energy needs.

DuPont said it plans to double the number of scientists at the facility before the end of the year to more than 600. ICRISAT said it has a strong partnership track record with the Indian government.

Over the past few years, ICRISAT research has been applied to help boost agricultural productivity in the drylands of India as well as help link dryland farmers with the industry and market.

DuPont said plant biotech scientists at the Dupont Knowledge Centre would work on developing biotech traits and technologies that would be used in multiple crops across the globe. Research teams are expected to collaborate and develop products from renewable resources for food, feed, materials and energy.

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