Research will focus on drought tolerance and nitrogen utilization optimization in corn and soybean.

Research will focus on drought tolerance and nitrogen utilization optimization in corn and soybean.

Syngenta entered into an eight-year research collaboration with Anhui Rice Research Institute (ARRI) of Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences in China. The collaboration will center on conducting laboratory and field tests of novel gene functions and will focus on drought tolerance and nitrogen utilization optimization in key crops such as corn and soybean.

The base crop for the program will be rice, a well-characterized crop regarding genetic, molecular, and agronomic information. Its genome is closely related to those of major crops such as corn. The relatively short growing cycle of rice will also allow more testing to be completed in a shorter time frame, explains Syngenta.

“This collaboration will accelerate our research and increase our efficiency and competitiveness,” says Xun Wang, head of Syngenta Biotechnology China. “ARRI has strong expertise and experience in genetics, breeding and field experiments.”

In 2007, Syngenta entered into a five-year research collaboration with the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology in Beijing on the development of novel agronomic traits for key crops such as corn, soybean, wheat, sugar beet, and sugar cane.

The company, with employees in more than 90 countries committed to sustainable agriculture, says that all these transactions are a part of its efforts to work closely with Chinese academics.ADNFCR-2184-ID-19019094-ADNFCR

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