Chacabuco, Argentina
September 7, 2007
Development of customized and
sustainable products for farmers
Representatives of
Bayer CropScience inaugurated the first agricultural
technology center (Campo de Innovación Tecnológica, CIT) in
Argentina, located in Chacabuco in the Buenos Aires province. At
the center experts test new active ingredients in their early
development phase in local crops and optimize them for Argentine
conditions.
In the first year of operation the CIT will assess product
efficacy and the impact of stress (drought, salinity, solar
radiation) on growth and yields.
Dr. Franz-Josef Placke, Head of Bayer CropScience Global
Development, stressed the innovation potential and the
professionalism of Argentine researchers: “Argentina fulfills
all qualifications for integrating into our global network of
development activities: due to its significant agricultural
sector and its potential of growth and innovation.”
On occasion of the inauguration ceremony Pascal Cassecuelle,
Head of Bayer CropScience La Plata Region, said: “We want to
work close to the Argentine farmers. This implies knowing their
needs and developing customized, sustainable products which meet
their requirements. The new center is a fundamental step in
expanding these activities; this innovation serves our
customers' needs.”
The new center stretches across 20 hectares of land, divided
into six lots on which soy bean, corn and wheat rotate. The
trial fields are treated with crop protection products in order
to evaluate the efficacy of the substances. Only active
ingredients that proved effective in the first screenings at
Bayer CropScience research centers are tested. Apart from
biological efficacy these substances meet the criteria of user,
consumer and environmental safety.
Presently Bayer CropScience runs nine research centers on three
continents and a global network of agricultural centers testing
new products and technologies. Argentina is the fourth country
in the Southern Hemisphere to have such an agricultural
technology station, after Brazil, Colombia and South Africa. |
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