Cartographie des déposants de brevets en amélioration des plantes fourragères pérennes (graminées et légumineuses)

Trends in applications for patents related to improvements in perennial fodder species (grasses and legumes)

Seed companies are focused on genetically improving perennial fodder species (grasses and legumes) as they are aware that such species will play an important role in the future of farming. Perennial fodder species -planted in temporary or permanent pastures- are valued because they are more environmentally friendly and because they can help create balanced foraging systems whose levels of protein production allow self-sufficiency. This study examined all 256 patent families submitted between 2000 and 2013, focusing on fodder species and certain traits of interest (e.g., resistance to abiotic and biotic stressors, modifications of metabolic pathways). The results reveal the identities of the main international players in the world of patents; they include major competitors (e.g., BASF, Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont) as well as lesser known but no-less-active organisations and companies, such as the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation and Verenium.