Agri Business Review: Specials Magazine

Genective’s story over the last five years reads like focused scientific momentum finally finding its moment. As a 100 percent subsidiary of Limagrain, the company has pushed a novelty driven R&D strategy from discovery into validation, and now toward commercialization. That arc is defined by two crucial advances: a whole new class of insect control protein, and lead genes that show strong efficacy against resistant Fall Armyworm (FAW) and Corn Rootworm (CRW). Together, they set the stage for global partnerships and deployment across corn, soy, and cotton. The science is concrete and consequential. The new protein class adds a distinct mode-of-action, widening the industry’s toolbox for durable stacks and stewardship in an era of escalating resistance. In parallel, Genective’s lead genes that have delivered excellent results against FAW and CRW populations have done so even when these pests have developed resistance against all the currently commercialized solutions. The company is explicit about what this means on farm: restoring control where performance has eroded and extending biotech trait durability across geographies and seasons. “It is a very exciting time at Genective,” says president and CEO Qiaoni Linda Jing. “Through extraordinary team collaboration in the last five years, we have been able to make breakthroughs at different stages of our R&D pipeline.” What Genective Does and Why It is Different What anchors the trajectory is an execution model built for scale. Genective researches, develops, and commercializes transgenic traits, for corn, soy, and cotton. The company’s novelty-driven strategy is designed to discover and advance traits with distinctive modes of action, then move them efficiently through development and regulatory pathways toward global deployment via commercial partners. Since moving its global headquarters from Paris, France to Central Illinois in 2020, Genective has built a people and innovation focused culture within the University of Illinois Research Park, integrating talent and infrastructure to accelerate translation from lab to field. With Limagrain’s continued backing, the company is deliberately pursuing a partnership-first route to market, enabling rapid scale-up, global stewardship, and fit-for-purpose stacking with existing trait platforms. “We are very excited that the noveltydriven strategy of Genective is bearing fruit, and we foresee commercialization through partnerships with global players in the agriculture market,” said Fermin Azanza, Global Head of Research for Limagrain Field Seeds and Chairman of Genective’s Board.

In agriculture, producers have historically relied on fertilizers to drive growth, pesticides to ward off threats, and chemical washes to sanitize food before distribution. While effective in the short term, this conventional model leads to soil degradation, inefficient resource use, chemical residues, and ongoing vulnerability to pathogens. Due to these issues, today’s most promising farms recognize the need to combine productivity with protection to ensure food integrity, understanding that traditional tools treat symptoms rather than strengthen the system. This leaves a crucial question. Could there be a technology that unites the trifecta of nutrition, protection, and sustainability for plants at each stage of their lifespan? John Russo felt the weight of the challenge. Determined to find a better way forward, he set out to build a solution that could nourish crops, protect them naturally, and reduce the industry’s dependence on chemicals. That vision became Lightning Water^™, a company with its breakthrough technology that uses plasma-treated water to power a cleaner, more resilient approach to agriculture. “Better crops are just the beginning. Our mission is to ensure tomorrow’s generation inherits clean food, clean water, and sustainable ways of living,” says Russo, CEO and co-founder. The Science of Lightning Water^™ Lightning Water^™ employs a proprietary system of high-voltage discharges to generate plasma, a state of matter where gas becomes energized and filled with reactive particles. This process ionizes ambient air and water, producing reactive nitrogen and oxygen species that are naturally present in healthy ecosystems. Infused into the water, they transform it into Plasma-Activated Water (PAW), a nutrient-rich feed and natural protective shield that enhances growth and resilience without chemical additives. What this means for crops is continuous support across three critical dimensions. Within the plant, PAW stimulates germination, improves root uptake, and speeds nutrient absorption, shortening cycles and raising yields by 30 to 35 percent. On the plant’s surface, reactive oxygen species act as natural sanitizers, warding off mold, algae, bacteria, and fungi, while a fine mist over the leaves offers a protective shield that functions almost like sunscreen, without leaving any chemical residue. Even after harvest, PAW helps preserve integrity across the supply chain, from packaging to transport, ensuring food moves safely and cleanly from field to table.

Since 1990, the U.S. phosphate industry has undergone dramatic consolidation. The number of fertilizer companies has declined from 18 to just four, and facilities have decreased from 22 to 10. Production has been cut in half, while Florida’s phosphate rock reserves have deteriorated significantly in both quality and volume. As domestic supply tightens and reliance on imports grows, each remaining producer has become increasingly critical. Itafos, an American pure-play phosphate company, stands out in the industry. It has operated its Conda facility in Idaho, U.S., at nearly 100 percent utilization over the last five years—a level of reliability that sets it apart. “Our singular focus on phosphate has enabled significant reinvestment in our operations, ensuring that industrial processors, distributors, and farmers across the U.S. have continued access to this indispensable nutrient,” said David Delaney, CEO of Itafos. Driven by that strategic focus, Itafos maintains a high level of efficiency in meeting customer demand, from ongoing infrastructure upgrades to continuous improvements in its mining processes. Not only at the Conda site, but at their Brazilian site as well, this focus provides a critical advantage in today’s constrained phosphate market. The Dual-Site Advantage Itafos owns two vertically integrated phosphate operations, one in Southeast Idaho and the other in Northern Brazil. Conda, the flagship site in Idaho, U.S., produces monoammonium phosphate (MAP) that it sells to a single customer under a long-term offtake agreement. This commercial relationship helps the company maintain operating levels and optimize its working capital investments. The company is also one of only three producers manufacturing superphosphoric acid in the United States. Conda’s product is a crucial input for corn starter fertilizers, and is essential for early root development, particularly in the wet spring soils of the Midwest. The site undergoes major maintenance turnarounds every year—supported by significant investment—helping to ensure safe operations and consistent, predictable uptime.