SACRAMENTO, California: S&W Seed Company (Nasdaq : SANW) announced that it will be retaining seed industry veteran Mauricio P.M. Barbosa, Ph.D. to aid in the expansion of its breeding capabilities within its sorghum portfolio.

In a career spanning 18 years, Dr. Barbosa has held positions of increasing responsibility with major multinational companies in the seed hybrid development industry. From 2012 to the present, Dr. Barbosa worked for NexSteppe Sementes do Brazil, a leading developer of seed hybrids for the production of sorghum used in biomass production for the “clean energy” market space. Most recently, Dr. Barbosa served as the Global Agronomy Director for NexSteppe, and prior to that he was NexSteppe’s South American Breeding Director.

From 2000 to 2012 Dr. Barbosa was employed at Monsanto do Brazil Ltda as an Associate and Assistant Breeder in his early tenure, and Research Site Manager in his final years at Monsanto. He has extensive experience in the development of hybrids, licensing and legal representation.

Dr. Barbosa earned a Ph.D. degree in Agronomy and Plant Breeding from Universidade Estadual Paulista in Brazil, and his Masters of Science and undergraduate degrees in Agronomy, Plant Pathology, and Agronomic Engineering from Escola Superior De Agricultura Luiz De Queiroz in Brazil.

In April 2018, S&W acquired a portfolio of sorghum germplasm from NexSteppe Sementes do Brazil to expand its focus of sorghum products to include biofuel types.

Mark Wong, President and Chief Executive Officer of S&W Seed Company, commented, “We are pleased to be associated with an industry expert the caliber of Mauricio Barbosa to move our sorghum development program to the next level. Since our acquisition of the NexSteppe sorghum assets, we have searched for a leader who can help us integrate the best attributes of our existing germplasm with those of the NexSteppe germplasm to produce grain and forage hybrids.

Given Mauricio’s long history with NexSteppe and its germplasm, we believe we have the right person to help us achieve our goals in the sorghum space. We believe there are great opportunities in the development of our sorghum products ahead.”

Source: http://swseedco.com/