<strong>Syngenta</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2010</strong> 16 Addressing growers’ needs
<strong>Syngenta</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Review</strong> <strong>2010</strong> <strong>Syngenta</strong> uses its expertise in plant breeding, crop protection and seed care to deliver solutions designed to bring plant potential to life. Whether they grow corn or rice, vegetables or flowers, farmers around the world trust <strong>Syngenta</strong> to help them produce healthy, premium crops and minimize the use of precious natural resources. 17 Sales in Corn $m Crop Protection 1,290 Seed Care 240 Seeds 850 Total 2,380 All crop sales in this section are based on <strong>Syngenta</strong> estimates. Corn Around 60 percent of global corn production is destined for animal feed. This means that the global importance of corn is expanding particularly in emerging markets, where growth in meat consumption is increasing. Corn growers are also supplying other end uses such as sweeteners, plastics and – particularly in the US – biofuels. Corn is one of the most productive crops: plant one seed, and you get over 500 kernels in return. Hybridization over many years has allowed enormous productivity gains, and this has been complemented in the last decade by the development of biotech traits in North America, Latin America, Asia and South Africa. As a result, the value of corn seed has risen, and seed selection has become a key grower decision. In addition, to safeguard their substantial investment in seed, growers need a range of solutions to protect their crop from weeds, insects and environmental stress. Leading herbicide range These solutions have to evolve to meet new challenges. In <strong>2010</strong>, the full extent of weed resistance to glyphosate became widely acknowledged, with nine resistant weeds now identified in the USA. <strong>Syngenta</strong> anticipated this development early on, and in 2005 launched glyphosate pre-mixes that deal effectively with resistant weeds while retaining the convenience of glyphosate. Sales of HALEX ® GT have expanded rapidly over the last two years, building on the success of comprehensive pre- and post-emergence weed control programs such as LUMAX ® and LEXAR ® . Crop enhancement in corn Combinations of our leading crop protection chemistries are also driving crop enhancement in corn. New fungicide programs including QUILT XCEL ® and QUADRIS ® led to a significant increase in adoption over the previous year, as growers recognized benefits in yield, quality, and ease of harvesting. In Seed Care, we have built on the success of CRUISER ® insect control with the launch in the USA of AVICTA ® , the first nematicide seed treatment. Growers had previously not realized the extent of the damage caused by nematodes which, by virtue of their scattered presence, can be difficult to locate and combat. AVICTA ® COMPLETE PAK offers a convenient and targeted solution that also includes CRUISER ® and the fungicide DYNASTY ® , based on the active ingredient azoxystrobin. AVICTA ® has now also been launched on soybean where it has significant potential. Germplasm diversity Alongside a world-leading crop protection portfolio for corn, <strong>Syngenta</strong> has a global corn seed business founded on research and development platforms that leverage diverse germplasm resources. We combine these resources with state-of-the-art breeding technology and the strength of local breeding programs to deliver a continuous flow of highperformance products. Our performance in Southeast Asia is one example of the success of this strategy: development of our proprietary tropical germplasm has given us leading market positions in both Vietnam and Thailand. And in China, we are broadening our portfolio by drawing on resources from both Europe and North America.
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