Agriculture companies Vylor and Rainbow Crops have announced a collaboration to advance new corn traits using artificial intelligence (AI) and multiplex gene editing.

Both companies will use Rainbow Crops’ AI-supported Trait Foundry platform to accelerate the development of corn hybrids that are more resilient to extreme weather, such as heat, drought and floods.

Rainbow Crops is a Belgium-based agri-tech spin-off from research institute Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB). Its technology will support Vylor’s expertise in gene editing through the collaboration.

Based in Iowa, US, Vylor is an advanced seed and genetics company working on boosting yields for farmers around the world through its scientific expertise. It is currently under the ownership of agriculture group Corteva, and will spin off to become a standalone business on 1 October 2026.

The two companies expect the partnership to deliver complex agronomic traits that use inputs more efficiently and increase yield to support farmer profitability.

Rainbow Crops’ Trait Foundry combines AI, multiplex genome editing (which enables scientists to edit multiple genes in a cell simultaneously), precision breeding and automated phenotyping (high-throughput measurement of plant characteristics) to design, generate and validate improved crop genetics faster and more precisely than traditional breeding approaches.

It is designed to address traits controlled by multiple interacting genes, such as drought tolerance and plant vigour.

Mat Muller, leader of Vylor’s investment platform Vylor Edge, said: “Rainbow Crops’ AI-enabled multiplex gene editing capabilities will allow us to make hundreds of gene edits simultaneously, while validating performance in state-of-the-art phenotyping facilities as well as through field trials”.

He added: “Genome editing is set to reimagine agriculture by creating plants that can withstand critical challenges, including disease and extreme weather”.

Giacomo Bastianelli, CEO and co-founder of Rainbow Crops, said the company’s early work in corn has shown the potential of its platform to accelerate complex trait development.

The collaboration comes following the European Parliament’s passage of legislation that enables plants developed through gene editing to be imported and cultivated across the European Union.

Corteva recently participated in Rainbow Crops’ €9.7 million seed financing round. Upon the company’s separation, the investment will become a part of the Vylor Edge portfolio.