Casterra completes commercial field trials for castor oil biofuel in Brazil

Casterra Ag Ltd., a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd. (NASDAQ: EVGN), completed commercial field trials in Brazil testing castor oil as a biofuel feedstock, according to a company statement.

The trials covered 74 hectares in Brazil's State of Bahia, with 64 hectares under rainfed conditions and 10 hectares using center pivot irrigation. The growing cycle received 382 mm of total rainfall. The company tested various plant populations and nutrient application rates while collecting data on farming costs and field operations.

Casterra said the trials demonstrated that large-scale, mechanized castor farming using its seed varieties is economically viable across different growing conditions. The company's seeds are designed for mechanization and low-input cultivation.

"I am very satisfied with these results, which reaffirm Casterra's concept for developing economic castor farming," stated Yoash Zohar, CTO of Casterra.

For 2026, Casterra plans to establish a local subsidiary in Brazil and form partnerships with castor oil producers. The company also intends to expand farming trials across multiple Brazilian states with different agricultural and climatic conditions.

Casterra currently focuses on developing high-yield castor seed varieties for bio-based industries including lubricants, surface coatings, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics and resins. The company aims to reduce farming costs for castor grain production while maintaining profitability for farmers.

Evogene specializes in computational chemistry and generative design of small molecules for pharmaceutical and agricultural industries using its ChemPass AI technology.

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