--- title: 'Agriculture Daily Summary: What Happened on October 22, 2026' headline: BioLumic and IRRI test light-treated rice seeds in the Philippines description: Pioneer plans to add Victrato to its soybean seed-treatment package for 2027. Syngenta named Jeff Cecil its North America Crop Protection president. url: https://thebench.bio/news/agriculture/2026-10-22 topic: agriculture date: '2026-10-22' covers: - '2026-10-22' date_published: '2026-10-23T00:06:07Z' date_modified: '2026-10-23T00:06:07Z' tags: - Agriculture sources: 3 publisher: TheBench.Bio --- # Agriculture Daily Summary: What Happened on October 22, 2026 **BioLumic and IRRI test light-treated rice seeds in the Philippines** Pioneer plans to add Victrato to its soybean seed-treatment package for 2027. Syngenta named Jeff Cecil its North America Crop Protection president. ## Today in brief BioLumic and the International Rice Research Institute launched Philippine field trials of light-treated rice seeds, testing their use in direct-seeded crops. [1] Pioneer expects Victrato to join its LumiGEN soybean seed-treatment package for the 2027 growing season. [2] ## Philippine trials test light-treated rice seeds BioLumic and the International Rice Research Institute began field trials in the Philippines to test light-activated seed technology in direct-seeded rice. [1] The 15-month pilot will assess crop establishment and performance, and inform potential testing in more locations and commercial seed portfolios. [1] Direct seeding avoids the flooded fields used in conventional rice cultivation and can reduce water use, but uneven crop establishment and yield concerns have limited adoption. [1] The International Rice Research Institute and the Food and Agriculture Organization estimate that climate-smart direct-seeded rice systems could reduce methane emissions by 30% to 45%. [1] BioLumic says xTraits exposes seeds to light to alter gene activity, without chemicals or genetic modification. [1] ## Pioneer plans to add Victrato to its 2027 soybean package Pioneer plans to add Victrato to the LumiGEN seed-treatment package for its soybean products starting with the 2027 growing season. [2] The treatment targets soybean cyst nematode, sudden death syndrome and red crown rot, among other threats. [2] No effective in-season curative treatments exist for sudden death syndrome or red crown rot, making Victrato a preventive option. [2] Across two years of trials at 70 replicated locations, Victrato showed a statistically significant vigor benefit and yielded 1.5 bushels per acre more than ILEVO HL. [2] Both treatments used the same base LumiGEN fungicide and insecticide treatments. [2] Victrato's active ingredient technology is classified as a Group 7 fungicide and an N-3 nematicide. [2] ## Also worth knowing - Syngenta named Jeff Cecil president of its North America Crop Protection business on October 1, succeeding Vern Hawkins. Cecil expects industry cost pressures to persist into 2027. [3] ## The day in numbers - **30% to 45%**: Estimated methane reduction possible with climate-smart direct-seeded rice systems, according to the International Rice Research Institute and the Food and Agriculture Organization. [1] - **1.5 bushels per acre**: Victrato's reported yield advantage over ILEVO HL across replicated field trials. [2] ## Also published - [Huma Enters Granular Fertilizer Market](), CropLife - [Put Test Plot Data to Work in Your Seed Strategy](), CropLife ## Sources 1. [BioLumic and IRRI Field-Test Rice Trait Technology to Protect Yields, Cut Methane and Water Use](), CropLife, 2026-10-22 2. [Pioneer Adds Victrato Seed Treatment to Help Farmers Get Ahead of SCN and SDS](), CropLife, 2026-10-22 3. [CropLife on the Road: One-on-One with Syngenta’s Jeff Cecil](), CropLife, 2026-10-22 --- TheBench.Bio wrote this from the reporting cited above, with a language model drafting and editing. [1]: [2]: [3]: