When will ZYVERT® be available?

Through conventional tobacco breeding, breeders from universities and private industry are introducing ZYVERT® technology into commercial tobacco varieties. They initiated this process in 2010, but it will take several years to complete.

We expect the first Burley and flue-cured seeds with ZYVERT® technology to be available for commercialization in 2021, subject to U.S. and international registration. These varieties will have the letters SRC as part of their names to differentiate from the current LC varieties. SRC stands for Stable Reduced Converter which identifies the effect of the technology in reducing the conversion of nicotine to nornicotine.

What are the implications for farmers?

Data collected in multiple locations for yield, disease resistance, leaf quality, smoke quality and overall agronomic performance show that SRC tobacco varieties with ZYVERT® technology and seeds perform similar to currently commercially available varieties except for the lower levels of nornicotine and NNN. The experimental varieties passed the regional Burley variety evaluation and the flue-cured variety programs coordinated by U.S. universities.

Will growers have access to the seed?

Once we receive regulatory approval, growers will be able to purchase ZYVERT® seeds just as they purchase any other tobacco seeds.

Is it non-GMO?

Yes, ZYVERT® technology was developed through classical breeding techniques and seeds obtained by cycles of conventional breeding.

ZYVERT® technology described above is controlled by Altria, and Philip Morris International. PMI was a wholly owned subsidiary of Altria until early 2008 when Altria and PMI became separate companies.