In a joint effort between scientists from Chengdu Institute of Biology (CIB), CAS, and their colleagues in the industrial sector, the first 20 tons of Natural ABA plant hormone are off the production line. This is the first large-scale ABA production in the world, according to CIB scientists.
ABA (abscisic acid) is one of the five main plant hormones for regulating plant growth. It could improve the quality, and increase the yield, of agriculture products by mediating plants' adaptation to stress. However, this hormone is not widely used in agriculture due to its high price. Scientists are seeking feasible low-cost methods to commercialize its mass production.
After a decade of hard work and with the support from the national high-tech development program, CIB scientists have successfully cultivated high-yield ABA strains and built up a unique fermentation production system to extract the value derivatives from them. The new technology drastically reduces the production cost, and its production method is simple and convenient to operate. This will enable the ABA products to be widely used in agriculture.
