Syngenta Thrive - 4Q/2013 - 14

growing season is impressive. You can create those
microclimates inside the facility, which will help separate
the winning technologies from the losers.”
R&D Strong
Some of the world’s best scientists are working tirelessly
at the Advanced Crop Lab to devise grower solutions for
drought tolerance, insect resistance, weed management
and breakthrough yield.
Syngenta established the first agricultural biotechnology
research facility in RTP in 1984. Almost 30 years later, the
company continues to be a global leader in agricultural
research and development. In 2012, Syngenta invested
more than $1.25 billion globally in R&D on best-in-industry
technologies aimed at tackling some of agriculture’s most
pressing challenges, including optimizing water use,
reducing pest pressure and enhancing plant response
to environmental stresses.
The 136,000-square-foot Advanced Crop Lab serves as
the testing ground for many new crop enhancements.
Corn, soybeans, sugar cane, rice, cereals, vegetables and
sunﬂowers are just a sampling of crops in which Syngenta
is focusing its next-generation research. Syngenta scientists at the Advanced Crop Lab will play pivotal roles in

making sure these technologies are available to growers
across the country and around the world.
Better Control, Better Results
Operating such complex systems has its challenges. The
Advanced Crop Lab team is creating brand-new systems
and protocols for operating such a facility. But the results
for customers will make all the effort worthwhile, says
Hua-Ping Zhou, Ph.D., Syngenta global group leader
for biotech greenhouses.
“With these updated capabilities, we have infinitely
better control over research conditions, and we can deliver
whatever we want to the plants,” he says.
Zhou cites the company’s leading water-optimization
technology as an example. “When we launched Agrisure
Artesian® technology in 2012, we knew those hybrids had
better performance under drought conditions and equivalent performance when there was no drought stress,” he
says. “But we couldn’t simulate the various abiotic stresses
that the corn plants could experience in differing regions
throughout the season.”
With the Advanced Crop Lab, they can. “We can
characterize the material under various environmental
conditions, which we couldn’t do in the past,” he says.

ComPleX
sYstems

enVironmental Controls
In the under-glass environments, scientists
can precisely control temperature, humidity,
and gases, such as oxygen and carbon
dioxide. Using a robust air-handling system
in the basement, individual temperature
controls only vary by 4 degrees Fahrenheit
(+/- 2 degrees) in each growth environment.

Every scientiﬁc element of the Advanced
Crop Lab is the result of intense design
and planning. Architects of the facility
worked with Syngenta to pull together
unique systems in a way that has never
been done before:

see more photos of the
advanced Crop lab.

12 | thrive

>>>> 4Q 2013

Under-Glass enVironments
Sunlight is crucial to all the plants located in the
main growth environment, which encompasses
30 rooms housed under an acre of glass. The
low-iron glass allows for more light transmission
compared to classic greenhouses. Roughly
92 percent of the sun’s rays penetrate through
the argon-filled glass, which has a hazed outer
finish to permit maximum light transmission.
A robotic roof washing system keeps the
glass clean.

Syngenta Thrive - 4Q/2013

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