CropDesign has filed extensive patent application in the US and elsewhere. In-house product development focuses on the application of cell cycle and other growth and development genes for better cereals. Cereals occupy the largest cropped area worldwide, and are the largest target markets for seed and agrochemicals. Additionally, as the largest food and feed crops, rice, wheat and corn are most in need of new technologies to help meet the global production challenge. The company's main target is the development of cereal crops with enhanced yield and stress tolerance.
Research is also on-going in the areas of disease tolerance and quality traits.
Product development starts from the company's portfolio of growth and development genes for which proof of concept has been obtained in Arabidopsis or rice. CropDesign then tests those genes and gene combinations further in rice and other cereals together with cereal specific gene promoters. A promoter is the part of a gene which function like a switch, turning expression on and off at specific times and in specific plant tissues. As part of its in-house product development work, CropDesign conducts a cereal promoter identification program. For all other applications of its technology platform, CropDesign will collaborate with strategic partners in the seed, agrochemical, biotech, food, feed and fibre industry.