Yield10 Bioscience Announces Completion of Harvesting for 2020 Field Test Program to Evaluate Novel Yield and Compositional Traits in Camelina and Canola


WOBURN, Mass., Oct. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. (Nasdaq:YTEN), an agricultural bioscience company, today announced it has completed the harvest for its 2020 Field Test Program for Camelina and canola trials conducted in the United States and Canada. Yield10’s 2020 Field Test Program is designed to evaluate several novel traits in Camelina and canola, and the Company expects to begin reporting data from the field tests in the fourth quarter of 2020 through early 2021.

“We are pleased that our field trial contractors completed the seed harvest on schedule at all of the sites involved in our 2020 Field Test Program,” said Dr. Kristi Snell, Ph.D., Chief Science Officer of Yield10 Bioscience. “We will continue to work closely with our field trial contractors to evaluate data collected from our studies. These field tests are designed to generate agronomic, yield and other data supporting the ongoing development of our traits in Camelina, canola and other commercial crops.”

A summary of the 2020 Field Test Program:

  • Camelina/C3004: C3004 is a trait designed to increase seed yield that has shown promise in previous greenhouse and growth chamber experiments.
  • Camelina/CRISPR E3902: E3902 is a CRISPR genome-edited trait designed to boost oil content. This line demonstrated positive results in 2019 field tests.
  • Camelina/CRISPR C3007: C3007 is a CRISPR genome-edited trait designed to boost oil content. This is the first season of field testing the trait.
  • Camelina/C3014 and C3015: Yield10 has designed a novel trait and reprogrammed Camelina to produce a PHA biomaterial as a third seed product in addition to the oil and protein meal.
  • Canola/C3004: C3004 is a trait designed to increase seed yield. This is the first season of field testing the trait in canola.   
  • Canola/C3003: Yield10 grew 14 new canola/C3003 commercial quality lines for seed bulk up in the field in 2020 that the Company currently plans to field test in 2021. C3003 is a seed yield trait.

In the field tests of its novel traits in Camelina and canola, Yield10 monitored key agronomic and growth parameters of the plants throughout the growth period. Yield10 also plans to evaluate seed yield, oil content, PHA content and/or other metrics of the traits as appropriate after seed harvest. The field tests are designed to generate data on the performance of the novel traits under field conditions and to advance the development of the traits toward commercialization. The program will also generate field grown seed for subsequent field studies.

About Yield10 Bioscience

Yield10 Bioscience, Inc. is an agricultural bioscience company developing crop innovations for sustainable global food security. The Company uses its “Trait Factory” including the “GRAIN” big data mining trait gene discovery tool as well as the Camelina oilseed “Fast Field Testing” system to develop high value seed traits for the agriculture and food industries. As a path toward commercialization of novel traits, Yield10 is pursuing a partnering approach with major agricultural companies to drive new traits into development for canola, soybean, corn, and other commercial crops. The Company is also developing improved Camelina varieties as a platform crop for the production and commercialization of nutritional oils, proteins, and PHA biomaterials. The Company’s expertise in oilseed crops also extends into canola, where it is currently field-testing novel yield traits to generate data to drive additional licensing opportunities. Yield10 is headquartered in Woburn, MA and has an Oilseeds Center of Excellence in Saskatoon, Canada.

For more information about the company, please visit www.yield10bio.com, or follow the Company on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. (YTEN-G)

Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements  

This press release contains forward-looking statements which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements in this release do not constitute guarantees of future performance. Investors are cautioned that statements in this press release which are not strictly historical, including, without limitation, statements regarding the results and outcome of, and information gathered from the field tests, the ability to use the results of the tests in future studies or licensing activities, whether the company’s traits will increase seed yield, boost oil content and/or produce PHA biomaterial, and expectations with regard to the timing of reporting results of the field tests or additional field testing, constitute forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including the risks and uncertainties detailed in Yield10 Bioscience's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Yield10 assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking information contained in this press release or with respect to the matters described herein.

Contacts:
Yield10 Bioscience:
Lynne H. Brum, (617) 682-4693, LBrum@yield10bio.com

Investor Relations:
Bret Shapiro, (561) 479-8566, brets@coreir.com
Managing Director, CORE IR

Media Inquiries:
Eric Fischgrund, eric@fischtankpr.com
FischTank PR