Herbicide-Tolerant Rice by Cibus: status and timeline

Herbicide-Tolerant Rice

A gene-edited rice variety with herbicide tolerance developed using Cibus' RTDS platform. The trait allows farmers to apply herbicide to control weeds without damaging the rice crop.

PilotStage 3 of 5

Seven active customer relationships; targeted 2027 LATAM launch and refined 2029 US launch.

Updated May 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · LATAM commercial launch (target)

RTDS technology platform established2001Complete.
Herbicide-tolerant rice trait development begins2015Complete.
Non-binding letter of intent for LATAM commercializationJan 2026Complete.
Gene-edited rice traits transferred to Interoc seeds (May 2026)May 2026Complete.
LATAM commercial launch (target)Target 2027Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

2027LATAM commercial launch (target) (next)

Current obstacles

Regulatory approvalLatin America is more open to gene-edited crops, but US approval remains uncertain for some applications.
Farmer adoptionEven with the trait available, seed companies and farmers must choose to plant herbicide-tolerant rice over alternatives.

Physics limits

Gene editing scopeThe process can add or remove specific traits but cannot solve fundamental agronomic problems like low yields or poor disease resistance outside the scope of the edit.
Regulatory differencesA trait approved in LATAM may not be approved in the US or EU for years, limiting global scale and creating fragmented markets.

How it works

3 parts

Gene editing

RTDS platform

Cibus uses its Rapid Trait Development System to precisely edit rice genes, adding herbicide tolerance without inserting foreign DNA.

Licensing

Partner seed companies

Cibus licenses the trait to regional seed companies who incorporate it into adapted rice varieties for local markets.

Royalties

Per-hectare revenue

Cibus earns royalties on seed sales, creating recurring revenue from each hectare planted.

Spec sheet

Spec	Herbicide-Tolerant Rice
Development time	Months vs. 10+ years^R (reported)
Peak annual royalties	$200M+^R (reported)
Peak addressable acres	5–7 million^E (estimated)

^R reported by the company · ^E our estimate

Update log

2 updates

May 2026

Major: Cibus transfers gene-edited rice traits to Interoc for South American seed developmentPressCommercial

Jan 2026

Major: Cibus secures non-binding letter of intent to commercialize herbicide-tolerant rice in Latin AmericaPressCommercial

About Cibus

The team behind Herbicide-Tolerant Rice

Cibus

Gene-edited crops, herbicide-tolerant rice, rapid trait development

Cibus develops gene-edited crop traits using its Rapid Trait Development System (RTDS). Founded in 2001, the company creates herbicide-tolerant rice and canola with reduced pod shatter, plus disease-resistant soy and wheat. It became public in June 2023 through a merger with Calyxt.

Cibus' Rapid Trait Development System creates gene-edited traits in months instead of years, without transgenics.
HT Rice advancing toward 2027 LATAM launch with seven customer relationships and $200M peak annual royalties.
Cibus merged with Calyxt to become a public company (ticker CBUS) in June 2023.

cibus.com (opens cibus.com)Company profile →

Founded: 200125 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Public
Listed: CBUS (opens google.com)NASDAQ
Valuation: $125Mest. market capOct 2026estimate
Raised: $65M3 rounds
Last round: Equity offering · $28MJun 2026
Works in: AgricultureGene-edited crops
Coverage: 2 programs · 2 updateslatest 1 May 2026checked 10 Oct
Partners: Nutrien/Loveland Products (opens cibus.com)Albaugh (opens cibus.com)
People: Craig WichnerChief Executive OfficerPeter Beetham (opens investor.cibus.com)President, Chief Operating OfficerCarlo BroosChief Financial Officer

Spec

Herbicide-Tolerant Rice

Development time

Months vs. 10+ years^R (reported)

Peak annual royalties

$200M+^R (reported)

Peak addressable acres

5–7 million^E (estimated)