Often dubbed the “start-up nation,” Israel has repeatedly proven to be fertile soil for cleantech innovators that succeed and are then bought up by international companies.
Israel-based Agro-tech company Rosetta Green has been chosen by international seed manufacturer Bayer CropScience AG for collaboration on a project that will help improve cotton crop for farmers. Rosetta Green, which also manufactures biofuels using algae, has developed microRNA genes that can replace the need for environmentally harmful pesticides, by making certain crops, like cotton resistant to bugs that would kill them.
Last April, the California Israel Chamber of Commerce selected 10 Israeli clean tech companies to present at the 2011 CICC Cleantech Tour and Showcase, one of which was Rosetta Green.
A subsidiary of Rosetta Genomics (Nasdaq: ROSG), Rosetta Green’s microRNAs work by manipulating the controls of key traits in plants and algae. The company claims that its micro RNA genes that improve the oil content from algae and can make crops more resilient in times of drought.
The company’s technology may have been sparked by the 1990 discovery that microRNA acts as a “master genome regulator” in plants and mammals, as reported at the time by Israel Innovation News. Using that information, Rosetta Green has managed to manipulate the microRNA of cotton, corn, soybeans, and other crops.
“Such developments could significantly increase the areas where crops can be grown and gradually grow more and more crops in arid areas with limited water availability or access to brackish water only,” Rosetta Green’s CEO Amir Avniel said in a statement.
