NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – Plant genomics company Evogene today announced an extension of its deal with Syngenta aimed at developing soybeans resistant to a plant parasite nematode.

The deal extends an agreement originally forged in 2009 by the two firms to identify genes that provide resistance to soybean cyst nematode, a pest that is responsible for about $100 billion in crop damages annually. In the US, nematode-related losses to soybean growers are estimated to reach $1.3 billion annually, Evogene said.