Plant Science Syngenta R&D The Challenge: & Agricultural Biotechnology Capabilities Worldwide Feeding the World Biotechnology R&D at Syngenta unites world-class scientists, state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge platform By the year 2050, it’s projected that global population will increase to more than Plant biotechnology incorporates modern plant breeding techniques and other technology in integrated research programs and collaboration to bring plant potential to life. 9 billion people from about 6.5 billion now. This population jump will increase calorie scientific advances in genetics, gene technology and bioinformatics (the application demand by over 50 percent. In fact, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations estimates that food production will have to double to meet that need. of information technology to life science) to develop safe and effective solutions that JEALOTT’S HILL can enable farmers to grow more from less. Chemical Discovery, Weed Control, ENKHUIZEN Why? Because, in addition to more people at the table, people in developing nations Formulation, Bioscience, Environmental Science BEIJING Vegetables & Flowers R&D Syngenta Biotechnology China (SBC) will have a greater appetite for animal protein which requires even more grain for The first truly recognized development in plant biotechnology was accomplished Biotechnology animal feed. nearly 300 years ago with flowers by Thomas Fairchild. He cross-bred Sweet LANDSKRONA Sugarbeet R&D William and Carnation to create a completely new plant called “Fairchild’s Mule.” So what’s the problem with that? Well, farmland is limited and is even shrinking. His cross-bred plant was the beginning of hybrids. Only about 30 percent of land worldwide can be used for farming, but every year some of that goes to provide living areas for the growing population. The only In the late 1800s, Luther Burbank applied Fairchild’s process of cross-breeding to available land is forests, and every acre that is transferred to farming has negative crops. Peaches, plums, prunes and berries benefited from his hybrid work, but the crop that he’s most known for is environmental consequences. In addition, within 15 years, almost 40 percent of the potatoes. His variety, the Russett Burbank, is still widely grown. global population will be experiencing severe water limitations. GREENSBORO Formulation So by 2050, how will Syngenta help growers feed 9 billion people on less farmland than we have now and without Plant biotechnology has become far more refined since then, but the purpose has stayed the same. Burbank Environmental Science and Fairchild wanted to create the best plant they could. Today, the same basic principles of biotechnology are GOA further exhausting our already stressed water resources? Biotechnology is an increasingly important part of the answer. combined with advanced techniques to ensure specific beneficial traits are passed along each time to create higher Chemistry yielding, more efficient crops. The benefits this technology has created are numerous; most importantly, they include: • INCREASED YIELD By modifying the genetic code of a plant to be resistant to an insect or a disease, Biotechnology Is All Around Us TOULOUSE growers can have a higher yield. Growers are able to produce more food on the same Cereals, Sunflower acreage as before, which will help meet the calorie demand for 9 billion people in 2050. RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK and Vegetables R&D In general, the term biotechnology describes various medical, agricultural and industrial techniques that use living OTHER SITES: • LOWER INPUT COST Growers who plant varieties that have disease or insect resistance built in will Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. (SBI) organisms to create new — or improve existing — products and processes. Biotechnology STEIN • Marker-assisted and seed require fewer sprays to adequately protect their crop, keeping input costs down. Fungicides, Insecticides & breeding capabilities Professional Products • Global field station network • IMPROVED EFFICIENCY Because they need fewer crop protection products, growers are out in their Biotechnology isn’t new and it happens around us all day, every day. Bread, for instance, is the result of fields less, which saves them time and fuel cost. biotechnology. More than seven thousand years ago, Egyptians discovered that yeast would make dough rise • REDUCED CARBON FOOTPRINT By spending less time in the field, growers are emitting less carbon Have you thought about into bread. In ancient times, people learned that bacteria enables milk to transform into many versatile and tasty For more information on biotechnology research and development at Syngenta, please contact: into the air from their machinery and crop application equipment. This helps our environment. cheese products. • IMPROVED NUTRITION AND QUALITY Some crops, such as Golden Rice, have been genetically Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. Syngenta Biotechnology China how to feed fortified to provide better nutrition or even improve quality for use in certain commercial processes. +1 919-541-8500 +86 59795885 Egyptians discovered that grape juice can be fermented to make wine. Fermentation was the beginning of many 3054 East Cornwallis Road Zhongguancun Life Science Park biotechnology discoveries. Important products such as penicillin were discovered thanks to fermentation Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27709 Changping District, Beijing 102206 of raw ingredients like yeast and maize. With the development of penicillin in the mid- www.syngentabiotech.com www.syngentabiotech.com.cn 9 BILLION PEOPLE? 20th century, biotechnology took off. Over the last few decades, the tools of biotechnology have become Mary-Dell Chilton: more refined as a result of advances in science. Scientists can now ©2010 Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc., 3054 Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. precisely identify some of the individual genes responsible for Trailblazer in Plant Gene Modification Important: Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using Syngenta products. The instructions We have. producing a particular characteristic. While on faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dr. contain important conditions of sale, including limitations of warranty and remedy. Agrisure®, Agrisure Artesian™, Agrisure Viptera™, AMS™, Aphid Management System™, VipCot™ and the Syngenta logo are Made up of hereditary material called deoxyribonucleic acid Mary-Dell Chilton, principal science fellow and founder of Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. (SBI), led a trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. The VipCot trait is not currently approved for sale or use in the U.S. and is not being collaborative research study that produced the first transgenic (genetically modified) plants. Her work offered or promoted for sale. Seed containing these traits will not be available for sale until all necessary regulatory approvals and (DNA), genes are crucial in determining the characteristics pioneered the field of agricultural biotechnology and forever changed the way plant genetic research authorizations have been granted. of living things. They are found in almost every cell of ® was conducted. She was recognized for her ground-breaking research in 2002 with a Benjamin GeneChip is a registered trademark of Affymetrix. every organism. As more genes are being identified every Franklin Medal in Life Sciences. Previous winners include Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, day, they can be used to develop new characteristics and Pierre and Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Today she remains dedicated to science, G&S 400.30901 (3/11) SCP 950-00135-B properties (called traits). This is particularly true in plants. conducting research at SBI and working to further the progress of agricultural biotechnology. Syngenta AND BIOTECHNOLOGY: AN OVERVIEW • MIR162 is a new insect control event for corn, which is marketed as the Agrisure Viptera™ trait and contains the Vip3A protein, which protects against the broadest spectrum of insect pests to date. Bringing Plant Potential to Life About and U.S. Adoption of Biotechnology Syngenta: • StaCKED COMbinationS of Syngenta corn traits, including broad-spectrum insect protection, Genetic Research Global and dual herbicide tolerance. At Syngenta, genetic research is approached from two directions: transgenic and advanced breeding. Products developed through agricultural biotechnology have been adopted by growers around the Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness with a proven track record in delivering innovative new products • VIPCOT™, the breeding stack of COT102, containing the novel Vip3A protein, and COT67B, containing the world at an unprecedented rate due to the benefits they deliver. through biotechnology research and development. Cry1Ab protein, brings much needed support to Southern cotton growers, who face persistent pressure from • TRANSGENIC: cotton bollworm, tobacco budworm and the entire armyworm complex. Genetically modified plants are developed by introducing and incorporating a specific trait (gene) from one species GM crops have been one of the fastest- Syngenta invests about $1 billion per year in research and development and employs more than 4,000 R&D of plant or organism into the genome of another plant to enhance or protect the crop. This improvement can be adopted technologies in agriculture today. scientists worldwide to develop new solutions for farmers. An increasing amount of those solutions are