Syngenta opens new agricultural technology R&D facility in Singapore

Syngenta Asia Pacific yesterday officially opened its new research and development (R&D) facility in Singapore for its molecular marker and formulation development laboratories.

The Kendall laboratory will support the development of new technology for agriculture around the Asia Pacific that can help maintain food security in a sustainable way.

''The Asia Pacific region is expected to have an additional billion mouths to feed by 2030 and with limited natural resources, new technology in agriculture is necessary to help farmers grow more with less,'' said Peter Pickering, the Region Head of Syngenta's Seeds business in the Asia Pacific. ''Syngenta's Kendall R&D laboratories will support our research network around the region and allow us to bring better technology to Asian farmers as they work to provide greater food security across the region.''

Syngenta's Molecular Marker Laboratory will help plant breeders to develop better varieties of crops in less time. The laboratory identifies DNA markers in plants that are associated with desirable traits, which facilitates Marker Assisted Breeding (MAB) in plants. MAB compresses the product development cycle by as much as half when compared to traditional plant breeding techniques.

The marker laboratory also has the ability to locate and unlock genetic networks behind complex traits which may lie undiscovered in the plant genome. This may include important traits that can help improve yield and environmental stress tolerance.

The formulation development laboratory translates active ingredients into products that can be easily used by farmers. The team determines the most ideal preparation for agrochemical products, establishing the amount of active ingredient required to effectively perform the task required making sure it can be applied with equipment readily available to farmers.

''Our Kendall lab demonstrates Syngenta's diverse platforms across crop protection, seeds and biotechnology,'' said Mr Pickering. ''This unique capability to leverage both biology and chemistry of plant science helps Syngenta develop effective solutions to meet the challenges of growing food and feed today and into the future.''