Science in Sight
Syngenta Opens New Lab
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. (DTN) -- Sunglasses were a requirement for every guest attending the grand opening of Syngenta's new Advanced Crop Lab, Friday, May 10. Built of a special glass that redistributes light, the interior of the one-acre, all-glass greenhouse is brighter than being outside on a sunny day. Company officials maintained that the lab represented a bright day for U.S. agriculture too.
The $72 million lab contains more than 45 growth environments that let researchers create the equivalent of an Iowa cornfield next to those more likely to be found in sub-Saharan Africa or Brazil. Cotton and sugar cane grow next door to cucurbits. Soybeans room next to sugar cane. Researchers said they will be able to replicate the growing conditions for winter wheat. Attendees were encouraged to view the facility not as a greenhouse, but rather a "lab."
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The goal of building the new research facility goes beyond bringing new products to the marketplace, said Michiel van Lookeren Campagne, head of biotechnology for Syngenta. "The key is to help farmers grow more food from fewer resources," he said.
"Our new Advanced Crop Lab allows us to bring together components of all research where we can create environments for multiple crops from multiple regions -- simultaneously. Individual controls of temperature, light and carbon dioxide levels, as well as humidity control in many growth chambers, provide tailored environments that allow our talented researchers to work on specific grower challenges. In addition to innovative facilities, being in RTP [Research Triangle Park], we have access to some of the greatest scientific minds to help farmers grow more from less."
Corn stalks with and without Syngenta's drought-tolerance trait -- Agrisure Artesian -- were on display. The company said growers should expect a 15% higher yield on moisture-stressed acres when planting seed that contains the trait. The hybrid identified as not containing drought-tolerance exhibited more leaf rolling, a slightly smaller plant structure and smaller tassel than the Agrisure Artesian hybrid.
Mary-Dell Chilton, a Distinguished Science Fellow at Syngenta, was in attendance. "These kind of facilities are invaluable," she told DTN in an interview. "A scientist can do so much more in a facility like this than in field environments." Monitoring and detecting environmental insults such as temperature and water extremes is difficult because abiotic stressors often cause such minute changes in the plant, she added.
Vern Hawkins, Syngenta North America region director, said Syngenta invests more than $1.25 billion annually on research and development efforts. The 136,000-square-foot facility is located within the 50-acre Syngenta RTP Innovation Center and represents the company's largest infrastructure investment to date. Construction began in 2011.
Pamela Smith can be reached at Pamela.smith@telventdtn.com
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