Response Biotech and Koch Biological Solutions, LLC, Wichita, Kan., combined operations to form Plant Response Biotech, Inc., Madrid, to leverage both companies’ capabilities, assets and product offerings.

Plant Response Biotech is a plant biotechnology company specializing in plant innate immunity, plant physiology and nutrient use efficiency.

Koch Biological Solutions focuses on developing science-based, live microbial and biologically derived chemistries that improve plant performance at every stage of growth. Through various modes of action, their biological solutions perform directly on the plant or its environment to improve crop efficiency and nutrient uptake, maximizing yield potential.

“These companies are naturally complementary, and it made tremendous sense to bring the two together and create real synergy,” says Tom Warner, chairman of the board for Plant Response Biotech. “For example, both companies’ screening and validation platforms are complementary, with the ability to define mode of action and identify the resulting cellular response.”

Plant Response Biotech has a commercial team focused solely on biologicals to help advance Koch Biological Solutions’ product pipeline.

“Plant Response Biotech, being a Spanish company, has a strong presence in Europe, and Koch Biological Solutions is well established in the U.S. Together, this new company has global potential,” Warner says.

“We are pleased to combine our world-class R&D capability into a new entity with focused commercial capabilities and a globally recognized investor group,” says Justin Hoppas, executive vice president for Koch Agronomic Services.

“We are excited to offer the marketplace 12 science-based products designed to mitigate abiotic stress, provide intrinsic yield improvement, enhance plant innate immunity and increase nutrient use efficiency,” adds Tom Snipes, chief executive officer of Plant Response Biotech.

Plant Response Biotech will be headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., and will have multi-site operations with R&D in Hayward, Calif., as well as EMEA R&D and commercial operations headquartered in Madrid, Spain.