Agriculture Daily Summary
Agriculture Daily Summary: What Happened on October 12, 2026
HelEx breeds sunflowers for heat, drought and pollinators
The EU-funded project is testing new sunflower varieties, while Corteva added Arevo’s Arginex Soy to its European soybean seed-treatment portfolio in July.
Today in brief
HelEx is testing sunflower breeding approaches for heat and drought tolerance in field trials across five countries.1 Corteva added Arevo’s Arginex Soy to its European soybean seed-treatment portfolio in July 2026.2
HelEx breeds sunflowers for heat and drought
The EU-funded HelEx project combines conventional breeding and gene editing to develop sunflowers that can withstand hotter, drier conditions.1 Researchers screened wild sunflowers from arid parts of the United States, then crossed the most drought-tolerant plants with commercial European varieties.1
Field trials in five countries will test whether those approaches produce more resilient crops.1 The project’s 17 partners also identified genes linked to ultraviolet flower color and nectar sugar levels, both of which affect pollinator attraction.1
HelEx has developed a sunflower variety intended to provide more resources for pollinators. Project researcher Nicolas Langlade said it produces six times more nectar and pollen than conventional varieties.1 Langlade expects a project-developed variety now undergoing registration to be available in 2028.1
The project is also identifying genes linked to seed protein content, with the aim of broadening sunflower’s uses in food.1 Langlade warned that yields could fall enough to make sunflower cultivation unviable in parts of Greece and Bulgaria without action.1
Corteva adds Arevo seed treatment to European portfolio
Corteva added Arginex Soy to its European soybean seed-treatment portfolio in July 2026, Arevo CEO Niklas Åström said.2 Åström described Arginex as a defined molecule, not a living product. It can be applied with existing seed treatments and requires no additional field pass.2
Åström said corn trials from 2024 to 2025 matched yields from a full-rate nitrogen check while using 30% less standard nitrogen.2 In one European trial in 2025, treated corn yields were 4.3% higher than the check, he said.2
With a full fertilizer program, Arginex increased corn yields by an average of 3.4%, Åström said.2 At three South American sites, corn yields matched the full program with 40% less nitrogen and phosphorus, he said.2
Arevo plans to present its full corn, wheat and soybean trial results at the Euroseeds Congress in October, Åström said.2