Origin Agritech (Nasdaq:SEED) Lands China Patent Rights for Bt-gene

Origin Agritech Limited (Nasdaq:SEED) has landed a big deal with Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, as they were awarded the patent rights for the Bt-gene.

BT, or bacillus thuringiensis, is used to combat crop predators like the tomato hornworm.

The agreement is via Origin Biotech, a subsidiary of Origin Agritech Limited.

Although this happened in the latter part of September, news is just getting out on the deal and what it could mean to Origin.

The rights for Origin are comprehensive, including the right to develop, enhance and improve the Bt-gene. They also are empowered to sub-license the technology to third parties in order to work on traits for specific products.

They can also develop their own line of crops products and market them globally.

If Origin successfully commercializes Bt-gene, it could dramatically increase the value of the company.

Origin Agritech Limited closed the week at $8.90, gaining $0.64, or 7.75 percent.

Monsanto's (NYSE: MON) India Corn Trials

Monsanto (NYSE: MON) will always be a company that takes two steps forward and one step back, as fears over the genetically modified seeds they offer make it slow going as far as introducing new products into different parts of the world.

That's the same in India, where brinjal is yet to be approved, while a new variety of corn is being tested which includes Bacillus thuringiensis as an insect control mechanism, where the gene is injected into the corn, and a protein would also be added to the corn to protect it against herbicides.

Bacillus thuringiensis is a natural ingredient normally used against worm-type of pests, like the tomato horn-worm that attacks the fruit.

Corn is of course susceptible to worms as well, the reason for including it in the corn.

Assuming the trials go well, the new corn will be introduced into India in 2012-2013. There aren't any expected roadblocks along the way that would interfere with the process going forward.