News

Lark Seeds: Advantage+ Tomato Hybrids Developed by New Breeding Technology Showed Promising High Broomrape Resistance in the First Trial

Woodland, California, USA — January 2026 — Following its October announcement of the "Advantage(A+)" product line, Lark Seeds International has released preliminary data from a greenhouse inoculation trial conducted in collaboration with the Brad Hanson Lab at UC Davis. The results confirm that Lark’s next-generation processing tomato hybrids provide a genetic shield against branched broomrape (Phelipanche ramosa), the parasitic weed currently threatening California’s processing tomato industry.

The "Invisible" Root shields the detection from Broomrape

Lark’s Advantage (A+) hybrids feature a breakthrough "stealth" root system designed to hide your crop from broomrape. Normally, tomato roots release a chemical "wake-up call" that tells broomrape seeds to germinate and attack; however, our plants are bred to mute this signal, therefore, the parasite can’t “see” the tomato roots, so the broomrape seeds stay harmlessly asleep in the soil. This invisible shield prevents broomrape from ever waking up, germinating, and attaching to your crop, ensuring cleaner fields and a more productive harvest without the need for extra intervention.

The initial greenhouse trial focused on manual inoculation, exposing plants to high broomrape seed loads to test the efficacy of Lark’s signal-modulation technology. Tomato seedling root balls were dipped in a tray of broomrape seed and transplanted into pots in the greenhouse.  Broomrape emergence was monitored and then the root systems were destructively evaluated two months after transplanting and individual broomrape attachments counted on each plant.  In this study, the mutated line had no broomrape attachments while 90% of the control parent line were parasitized.  These results demonstrated a promising advancement towards generating tomato hybrids that can be resistant to the emerging broomrape problems. 

Figure 1: Phenotypic Contrast in Broomrape Susceptibility.

·      Left: Susceptible processing tomato hybrid showing both floral emergence and root-zone attachment of broomrape.

·       Right: The Lark Advantage(A+): hybrid exhibiting clean, robust root systems with no weed attachment across the entire trial population.

2026: Moving to the Field

With greenhouse validation successfully concluded, momentum now shifts to the 2026 field season. Lark Seeds will initiate field trials in high-pressure 'hot zones' across California’s Central Valley while simultaneously pursuing regulatory approval in Chile—a critical market where growers face severe broomrape infestations. These international trials are poised to accelerate the commercialization of a new global standard for broomrape resistance in processing tomatoes.

Lark Seeds International to Launch DNA-Free Genome Editing Alliance to Advance High-Value Traits in Vegetables

Woodland, Nov 13, 2025 —Lark Seeds International today announced an agreement with Bayer to deploy Lark’s proprietary, DNA-free, high-efficiency genome-editing platform in vegetable crops. The parties have agreed to terms directed to accelerating the delivery of precision-edited varieties that combine agronomically important characteristics with clear benefits for growers, processors, and consumers.

Vegetables are among the world’s most widely produced and consumed foods, yet global output faces growing pressure from weeds, nutrient inefficiency/imbalances, destructive diseases, and food waste from field to table. By combining Lark’s genome-editing platform with Bayer’s crop expertise, the alliance aims to deliver varieties that stack agronomically important traits—lowering grower costs, reducing food waste across the supply chain, and enhancing nutrition and flavor for consumers.

“This alliance with Bayer showcases the power of pairing elite breeding expertise with cutting-edge technology. It’s a pivotal step toward developing new fruit and vegetable products that deliver positive environmental impact and elevate nutrition and flavor via harnessing the speed and precision of genome editing and next-generation breeding.” — Vassilis Aivazis, CEO, Lark Seeds International

“Our technical interaction with Lark Seeds is a strong endorsement of new technologies to expand the toolbox available to farmers. By combining our teams’ respective technologies and expertise, we are creating new avenues to develop solutions that strengthen plant resilience, helping farmers to boost crop performance and tackle tough environmental challenges.”— VK Kishore, Global Product Innovation & New Crops Lead, Vegetables R&D, Bayer

Lark seeds recently announced our Advantage+ new breeding technology platform (NBT).  Advantage+ uses next generation breeding tools such as CRISPR/RNP technology to accelerate the breeding process and offer solutions to industry challenges that would be difficult or impossible to solve through conventional breeding.  At it’s core the Lark Advantage+ line provides hybrids with additional benefits for growers, processors and consumers while offering complete transparency.

The Advantage+ platform utilizes a unique DNA free approach to precision gene editing.  Common editing approaches use a modified bacteria called Agrobacterium tumefaciens which is able to insert DNA into the host plant.   The inserted DNA encodes the CRISPR ribonuclease protein (RNP) along with a small guide RNA.   The Agrobacterium system can pose multiple issues for plant breeders.   Because the editing system is incorporated into the plants own DNA it will stay active until it is eliminated via backcrossing requiring multiple generations that can add years to the project.  In addition, the longer the editing system is active the higher to potential for unintended changes to other genes.   Larks Advantage+ platform does not use Agrobacterium, instead the CRISPR RNP and guide RNA are directly inserted into host cells of the plant.  There is no incorporation of any foreign DNA into the plant, the RNP simply finds it’s target and completes the edit.  Within 24-48 hours the RNP and guide RNA are degraded naturally by the plant cell greatly reducing the possibility of any off-target edits and eliminating the need for further backcrossing saving both time and cost. 

Because of the precision and DNA free nature of the Advantage+ system the end products are non-GMO by both U.S.A and Canadian regulatory standards, they are considered no different from conventionally bred varieties.  In most cases the changes are as small as a single base pair of DNA which can either enhance, impair, or completely turn off a gene already present in the plant.  Different versions of the same genes are often already present in wild tomato populations and could be incorporated into cultivated varieties but the process is time consuming, costly and most often incorporates additional genes from the wild donor that have undesirable effects known as linkage drag.  The Advantage+ platform can achieve the same results in a much shorter timeline and without unintended undesirable effects from linkage drag dramatically accelerating the timeline to provide solutions for new challenges faced by growers, processors and consumers.

Woodland, Calif. — October 2025 — Lark Seeds International today unveiled new generation of processing-tomato hybrids (Patent Pending) developed to help California growers increase yield by overcoming two of their most persistent challenges: branched broomrape (Phelipanche/Orobanche spp.); a destructive parasitic weed, and fruit softening that shortens the harvest window and increases losses due to fruit rotting/cracking.

California produces over 90% of the nation’s processed tomatoes—an industry valued at $1.64 billion—yet growers continue to battle broomrape infestations and quality declines, particularly when extreme heat or other weather related-conditions, delay field access and extend harvest timing.

Lark’s new hybrids combine broomrape resistance/tolerance with extended fruit firmness, reducing reliance on chemical inputs while maintaining key processor metrics (°Brix, viscosity, pH, and color).  The broomrape resistance trait was developed by modulating root-exuded signaling molecules that trigger broomrape seed germination.  Also, while targeted edits to cell-wall–modifying enzymes slow softening and improve tolerance to pathogens under heat or harvest delays.

Lark Seeds International Files A Patent Application for Next-Generation CRISPR-Edited, Multi-Trait Tomato Stack

 Lark Seeds International (LSI) today announced the filing of a U.S. patent application covering a new generation of CRISPR-edited, DNA-free tomato events. This proprietary event stack delivers a high-impact combination of traits designed to fundamentally elevate commercial tomato production, enhance processing efficiency, and build climate resilience across key global markets.

The application covers a multi-trait architecture including:

·       Extended Field-Holding — delayed post-maturity softening and reduced water loss, enabling flexible harvest scheduling and lower field losses.

·       High Viscosity & Improved Paste Yield — edits targeting pectin and cell-wall pathways to increase serum viscosity and enhance industrial extraction efficiency.

·       Increased Soluble Solids (High Brix) — targeted modifications of the sugar source–sink pathway to enhance partitioning of carbohydrates into fruit, increasing natural soluble solids for improved flavor and more energy-efficient processing.

·       Broomrape Resistance — disruption of root-derived signaling molecules required for parasitic Orobanche/Phelipanche germination.

·       Fruit set Under High Temperature Stress — improved reproductive stability during heat by parthenocarpy.

·       Day-Length Controlled Male Sterility — a proprietary photoperiod-responsive sterility system enabling hybrid seed production without cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) or restorer lines.

All these traits were developed using Lark's proprietary DNA-Free Vegetable Editing Platform. They fully leverage the recent expansion of the USDA-APHIS exemption, which now permits up to twelve SDN-1 (indel) genome edits per plant. LSI's stacked, high-value tomato traits are therefore fully aligned with the latest U.S. regulatory standards, giving growers and partners confidence in rapid, compliant commercialization.

  “These upcoming products represent a fundamental advancement in tomato breeding efficiency and product performance,” said Vassilis Aivazis, CEO of Lark Seeds International. “Our DNA-free CRISPR platform enables us to deliver climate-resilient, processing-optimized traits rapidly and with clear regulatory pathways that benefit both growers and processors. This application filing solidifies our leadership in precision agriculture for the global vegetable market.”

 Lark Seeds International (LSI) today announced the filing of a  U.S. patent application titled “and Methods for Producing Edited Vegetable Crop Plants with Desirable Agronomic Traits.” 

The filing protects LSI’s proprietary Advantage+™ gene-editing platform—a suite of DNA-free CRISPR/RNP workflows, reagents, and strategies designed for the precise improvement of vegetable crops across key Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae species.

Key Breakthroughs & Commercial Impact

This application  establishes the foundation for LSI’s next-generation breeding capabilities by directly overcoming two major bottlenecks that have historically limited the speed of DNA-free editing in commercial vegetables:

1. Genotype-Independent Regeneration: The methods allow for the efficient regeneration of viable edited plants from protoplasts, irrespective of the specific hybrid or parental line being used.

2. Multiplex Efficiency: The platform enables the high-efficiency simultaneous editing of three or more gene loci (multiplexing), allowing for the rapid creation of complex, stacked traits.

By eliminating the need for lengthy introgression steps from model genotypes, LSI can now achieve true seed-design capabilities at unprecedented speed, delivering high-value, climate-resilient, and processing-optimized varieties directly to market

“By filing  IP around our core editing compositions and workflows, we are establishing a strong foundation for the next decade of vegetable breeding innovation,” said Vassilis Aivais, CEO of Lark Seeds International. “These technologies remove long-standing barriers in vegetable genome editing—allowing us to produce true commercial-ready edited lines with speed, precision, and regulatory clarity

We are proud to announce the creation of our fully owned subsidiary “Lark Seeds Italia, SRL” to boost our presence and market position in the Italian market. In parallel, we are excited to announce the appointment of Mr. Angelo Crucitti as our General Manager overseeing all commercial matters related to this new entity and in charge of driving our growth strategy in the region. Crucitti is a highly regarded leader in the Vegetable Seed industry having achieved tremendous success in the former Monsanto Company as well as Cora Seeds.

ILP Vegetable welcomes new member Lark Seeds (Woodland, Ca USA)

ILP Vegetable has welcomed a new member of the association, Lark Seeds (Woodland, Ca USA).

Lark Seeds International is a global vegetable seed company, specialized in breeding new varieties of Solanaceae and Cucurbit species. They focus on developing high-performing hybrid vegetable seeds.

For more information about ILP, please check the ILP web site