LIBERTYVILLE — Valent BioSciences LLC announced a long-term agreement with Kansas State University to advance critical research in the areas of soil health and carbon smart farming.
Charles W. Rice, Distinguished Professor of Soil Microbiology at Kansas State and world-renowned researcher in carbon cycling and climate change, will oversee the initiative. A portion of the project funding will provide support for a doctoral student and a postdoctoral researcher at the Manhattan, Kansas, university.
Libertyville-based Valent is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. It develops, manufactures and commercializes biorational products, including pesticides, typically derived from natural or biological origins.
“This collaboration with Kansas State University marks the next important and exciting step in our commitment to soil health in agriculture,” said Dr. Warren Shafer, vice president, global research and development and regulatory affairs at Valent. “The specific projects being conducting with the university will help us remain the thought leader in the fields of carbon and nitrogen cycling, as influenced by the soil microbiome.”
