Excerpts from a University of Saskatchewan press release

Lawrence Gusta, a University of Saskatchewan (U of S) researcher whose team discovered a novel gene that confers tolerance to environmental stress, increases plant vigor and seed yield, and shortens the time needed for plants to mature has been nominated for the Innovation Place-Industry Liaison Office’s “Award of Innovation.”

The Award of Innovation honours U of S researchers who have brought new and commercially viable technology to the ILO for development into marketable products.

Plant sciences professor Lawrence Gusta leads the research team that discovered Rob-5, a novel gene that confers tolerance to environmental stress, increases plant vigor and seed yield, and shortens the time needed for plants to mature. It’s a valuable innovation in regions of short growing season such as that found in Saskatchewan. A U of S international patent is pending for this technology and one of the world’s leading agricultural products companies is interested in developing it. The licensing agreement is expected to bring immediate financial reward to the university, as well as substantial royalty income for many years into the future.