Golden Valley, Minnesota
February 27, 2007
Syngenta has doubled its seed
output with year-round product development and parent seed
production
Just as the Big Ten Conference added a new dimension of talent
by including Penn State as its 11th team in 1991, corn and
soybean growers now have more options for raising their
performance to higher levels through Syngenta’s “expansion” of
the Corn Belt to other key players, most notably Hawaii and
Puerto Rico.
Four generations in one year
Through significant expansion of product development technology
in Hawaii and Puerto Rico, Syngenta scientists and parent seed
producers can now produce larger volumes of seed through as many
as four generations in a single year. As a result, Garst, Golden
Harvest and NK® Brand are bringing dozens of new corn hybrids
with stacked traits to U.S. growers several years faster than
what could be done otherwise.
“Expansion of product development operations in Hawaii and
Puerto Rico has put our best genetics with the best traits on a
fast track,“ says Ray Riley, global head of corn and soybean
product development for Syngenta Seeds. “This year we are
doubling our seed production with stacked traits, thanks to the
acceleration these locations provide. Most of the products we
are producing this year will contain new trait combinations we
did not have last year. These traits are in our newest
industry-pacing genetics.”
Rapid production of hybrids with trait stacks
“As growers respond to the growth in corn demand linked to
biofuels, they want stacked traits with the best genetics,”
Riley said. “With EPA registration approval for our Agrisure™
corn rootworm trait, the Hawaii Syngenta team has been rapidly
producing lines that combine rootworm protection with corn borer
protection, glyphosate tolerance and Liberty® herbicide
tolerance.”
“Growers striving to produce more corn will see the Syngenta
fast track really payoff for 2008 planting,” said Mark Wall,
head of Hawaii seed operations. “Last summer, our Hawaii teams
worked with dozens of key inbred lines and multiple combinations
of stacked traits. This spring, we are shipping that seed –
enough to produce 148 new products, all with Agrisure stacked
traits – to the mainland where we will grow hybrids this summer
for customers to begin purchasing next fall. As we move our best
genetics rapidly into production, this year we will be planting
corn in Hawaii on at least 170 different dates,” Wall says.
Keeping up with grower appetite for new products
In Hawaii and Puerto Rico, Syngenta is now using more than 3,300
acres for corn and soybeans breeding, with additional expansion
planned. Since 2004, the company has increased seed planting
with traits by over 200 percent.
“Aphid-resistant and ultra low linolenic soybeans are examples
of two new products Syngenta is bringing to market faster thanks
to expanded product development in Puerto Rico,” says Virgil
Sparks, regional head of soybean product development. “This
winter in Puerto Rico, we produced initial seed volumes from our
best material. We harvested that seed and have replanted another
generation in Florida. When that seed is harvested this spring,
it will be shipped to the Midwest where we will produce parent
seed of the aphid-resistant and ultra low linolenic varieties.
This fast-track effort could not have been accomplished without
the combined teamwork of our Winter Nursery, Soybean Product
Development and Soybean Parent Seed teams. Their efforts will
allow us to deliver these new traits to our customers for the
2008-2009 selling season.”
The extra production in Puerto Rico enables Syngenta to have
more varieties to evaluate more parent seed from which to
produce new soybean products. “Growers are counting on these new
products to increase their productivity, and they want them as
fast as possible,” Riley said. “Our product development program
is geared for rapid introduction of these new choices through
Garst, Golden Harvest, NK Brand and the multiple seed companies
licensing our genetics and traits.”
Favorable court ruling makes more GT stacks available to
growers
A significant element in Syngenta’s acceleration of Hawaii
product advancements was the 2006 federal court ruling finding
that Syngenta did not infringe Monsanto and DeKalb patents
allegedly impacting GA21, Syngenta’s Agrisure GT glyphosate
tolerance trait for corn. Following that decision, Syngenta
rapidly scaled-up multiple generations of corn lines containing
the GT trait to enable even broader offers of our proprietary
trait combinations.
“That favorable ruling was very significant for growers because
it meant there will be more than one source of glyphosate
tolerance in the market,” Riley said. “The ruling enabled
Syngenta to significantly increase production of new
glyphosate-tolerant products for customers.”
Syngenta is a
world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture
through innovative research and technology. The company is a
leader in crop protection, and ranks third in the high-value
commercial seeds market. Sales in 2006 were approximately $8.1
billion. Syngenta employs around 19,500 people in over 90
countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN)
and in New York (SYT). Further information is available at
www.syngenta.com.
Agrisure™, NK ® and the Syngenta logo are are trademarks and
registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company.
Liberty® is a registered trademark of Bayer CropScience. |
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