Syngenta Thrive - 4Q/2013 - 15

“The knowledge we have learned so far will enable us to develop
similar products faster and better in the future because we have a
clearer understanding of what drought tolerance is and which
factors impact it the most.”
Real Farm Benefits
In the end, Syngenta is confident that the new products tested
and developed at the Advanced Crop Lab will be more relevant to
growers in the field. That confidence is based on laser-sharp
precision research, more predictable results and increased levels
of reproducibility.
The innovative technologies at the Advanced Crop Lab make it
possible for Zhou and other Syngenta scientists there to think like
growers and act on their research as growers would. Ultimately,
their work will bring better solutions to farms, and that’s particularly
good news for growers, Gorena notes.
“When I think of our purpose, ‘Bringing plant potential to life,’ we
are doing that more quickly and in more ways than ever before,” he
says. “This new facility will help us find the best traits to bring to
farmers around the world so they can do what they do best.”

For more inFormation on Syngenta biotech products,
people and news, go to www.syngentabiotech.com.

Pipeline Preview
As Syngenta pipeline traits undergo regulatory review,
the company’s new Advanced Crop Lab is taking center
stage. It hosts plants grown to generate data that
Syngenta submits to various regulatory agencies.
Two new corn products designed to meet
pressing grower needs are currently in that regulatory
review phase:
1. A next-generation corn rootworm project
2 A next-generation corn herbicide trait
The Advanced Crop Lab also will be conducting studies
on a variety of promising pipeline technologies in other
crop areas, including rice, soybeans and sugar cane.
“The ability to control the environmental factors
means the ability to obtain much more consistent results
in our experiments,” says Hua-Ping Zhou, Ph.D.,
Syngenta global group leader for biotech greenhouses.
“We have to be able to predict how the plants that we
test will perform in the grower’s field, and the new
Advanced Crop Lab gives us that ability.”

PreCision Growth Chambers
In addition to the under-glass environments, Syngenta is using precision
growth chambers in its research. University
of Guelph researchers originally developed
these chambers for NASA to grow crops in
space. The chambers monitor plants around
the clock without human interaction, providing
researchers precise data on plant responses to
environmental conditions.

Fertilizer + irriGation = FertiGation
Researchers feed and water the plants in the
Advanced Crop Lab simultaneously, using a
computer-controlled fertigation system, which
delivers food and water directly into each pot.
Everything is automated, so scientists can focus
their efforts on the research, which is what
matters most when working to stay ahead of
the many environmental pressures growers
face. Researchers can program an infinite
number of recipes for individual rows of
crops grown in each room.

ReSouRCe DIReCToRy

Climate-Controlled Growth Chambers
Twelve climate-controlled growth chambers round out
the inventory of rooms at the Advanced Crop Lab. Built
with reflective walls and special lighting units, the
rooms are large enough to grow full-size sugar cane.
In these chambers, researchers have the ability to
vary the temperature and lighting to a degree they
can’t do in the greenhouse. Scientists can extend
daytime or nighttime hours to test the effects of
light on individual plants or create colder or
warmer environments—something that’s not
possible in the under-glass rooms.

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