Abbott & Cobb Forms Licensing Agreement With Syngenta

Posted by Rosemary Gordon|August 30, 2016

Abbott & Cobb, Inc. a developer and marketer of vegetable varieties, recently announced that it has completed a long-term agreement to license A&C’s recently patented technology, SuperSeedWare (SSW) to Syngenta Seeds, LLC for worldwide use in sweet corn varieties.

SuperSeedWare (SSW) represents the first privately owned, 100% natural, gene-type in sweet corn breeding.

Syngenta will begin to introgress SSW technology into its proprietary sweet corn genetics. The goals are to deliver enhanced seed quality, germination, and vigor, while maintaining the desirable benefits of conventional supersweet sh₂ gene types, in particular, shelf-life.

The SSW technology can also be used to transform existing sh₂ hybrids that are already preferred by growers, into superior performers that generally mature earlier, can germinate in colder or warmer soils and, due to the added vigor, can grow more reliably under various climatic challenges.

“We are pleased to come to agreement with Syngenta to incorporate our SSW^® technology into many of its existing sweet corn hybrids while creating newer and more advanced hybrids in the future,” says Abbott & Cobb, Inc. President, Art Abbott. “With Syngenta’s tremendous history and capability in sweet corn development, we expect the SSW^® technology to become a very significant part of sweet corn breeding.”