Bayer CropScience at the ISF World Seed Congress 2015 in Kraków, Poland

Date:05-28-2015

Bayer CropScience is committed to proactive stewardship to underline the company’s strong commitment to sustainable agriculture. "We help growers around the world produce high-quality and high-yielding crops," said Matthias Haug, Head of SeedGrowth at Bayer CropScience. " We take product stewardship very seriously, as it is important to maximize the benefits of seed treatment technologies and at the same time minimize potential risks to human health or the environment," he added. "Our tailored offerings based on products, coatings, equipment and services marketed under our powerful Bayer SeedGrowth™ competence brand make farming more sustainable and environmentally compatible."

Bayer CropScience is continuing to drive forward innovative solutions in all of its four areas, from new seed treatment products such as ILeVO™ and improved film coatings which increase flowability of treated seeds through to on-demand seed treatment machinery and quality assessments, as well as customer training and services.

"Listening to the needs of our customers and expanding partnerships is key to jointly mastering the challenges of tomorrow," Haug added. The company plans to further expand its SeedGrowth business by combining more than 100 years of experience in seed treatment, further investments in research and development and expanding partnerships with a strong competence brand - a combination that is unique in the industry.

Under the slogan "You never work alone", Bayer CropScience was present at the ICE Congress Center during the ISF World Seed Congress in Kraków, Poland from May 25-27, 2015. The company is the main sponsor of this important event.

Stewardship measures support the safe use of seed treatment products

Bayer is driving forward the implementation of stewardship measures together with breeders, seed treaters and farmers. "High-quality treated seeds combined with the latest technologies and best management practices in the field maximize value and ensure the least potential impact of our products on human health and the environment," Peter Ohs, Senior Global Stewardship Manager at Bayer CropScience pointed out. "Risk mitigation is in our DNA at Bayer. But it is impossible to implement stewardship on our own. In this instance, partnerships with farmers, breeders, seed treaters and sowing equipment manufacturers are essential."

Innovations from improved seed treatment products, better recipes and treatment processes through to dust minimization projects make a significant contribution to sustainable agriculture. Bayer SweepAir™ is a proof-of-concept prototype that separates the dust from the air in an air cleaning cyclone, transports it towards the soil surface and buries the dust in the ground, enabling up to 99 percent drift reduction compared to a reference machine (measured by the Julius Kühn Institute in Germany).

The AirWasher technology enhances deflector technology by capturing dust particles through atomized water droplets, and achieved a dust drift reduction of 97 percent in the same test. Another milestone is the Fluency Agent, a non-abrasive white polyethylene wax-based powder designed to minimize the potential risk of exposure to pollinators from treated seeds; dust emissions during planting can be reduced by up to 88 percent. Individual information, training and a wide range of services complement Bayer’s tailored offer.

ILeVO™: a new seed treatment product to tackle sudden death syndrome

Soybean growers in the United States and other major soybean-growing regions are facing a challenge to their crops - sudden death syndrome (SDS). This disease causes massive damage to the crop, even in the absence of visible symptoms. ILeVO™ is a highly effective seed treatment product for the control of SDS and also has activity against nematodes including soybean cyst nematode, one of the most yield-robbing pests in soybeans.

During research and field trials, ILeVO™ seed treatment has been shown to protect soybeans from early-season SDS infection, thereby reducing the late-season leaf chlorosis and necrosis that leads to leaf, flower and pod abortion which causes yield loss in infected plants.

"This is another innovation that complements our great offer in soybeans," Martin Gruss, Head of Bayer SeedGrowth™ Products at Bayer CropScience pointed out. "ILeVO™ paired with Poncho/VOTiVO™ provides unmatched protection against sudden death syndrome, nematodes and insects." ILeVO™ received U.S. EPA registration in late 2014.

Méréville celebrates its 100th anniversary

Film coatings improve seed treatment quality and support on-seed performance. At its Méréville site, Bayer CropScience is constantly developing new formulas for seed film coatings. This year, the company celebrates the 100th anniversary of this important facility located near Paris, France.

"We are celebrating a century of innovations from Bayer in the area of seed-applied technologies," said Marc Andrieux, Global Head SeedGrowth Technology and Services at Bayer CropScience. "Farmers and breeders worldwide benefit from our state-of-the-art film coatings technology: improved adhesion and coverage, improved flowability of treated seeds, enhanced sowability in the field and validated seed safety."

Furthermore, the right film coating reduces dust emissions and helps to protect operators. Bayer CropScience’s aim is to further pave the way for more groundbreaking achievements in the future: for example, innovative seed-applied technologies that could help seeds better withstand harsh weather conditions or promote their interaction with beneficial soil-dwelling organisms.

Equipment facility in Shakopee, Minnesota, USA expanded

Having proper equipment plays a vital part in achieving better yields and healthier plants. It helps to ensure that every seed is precisely and accurately treated every time. Bayer CropScience recently invested significant resources in enhancing and expanding its equipment facility in Shakopee, Minnesota, a first-class training and technology center.

"We now have dedicated facilities to both demonstrate and train with our innovative equipment," said Peter Herold, team leader for Bayer CropScience’s global engineering services. "Groups of up to 120 people can receive training here." Bayer experts can explain all aspects of the equipment and machinery, such as how it is designed, engineered and manufactured. The Shakopee site also employs the Bayer SeedGrowth™ Centers around the world to extend its training offer to all regions.

One example is Bayer CropScience’s On Demand™ system which enhances traditional seed treatment by improving accuracy and efficiency. It offers a number of key improvements over traditional seed treatment equipment. Foremost, the system is fully automated and completely closed. Pre-loaded, bulk product containers eliminate inaccuracies caused by traditional hand mixing. The system is operated by a control panel for precise application, resulting in evenly coated seeds, helping to ensure consistency and minimizes the risk of product exposure.

Jumper™: a new oilseed rape variety delivering high yields

Globally, oilseed rape has become the second most important oilseed crop after soy, and the demand continues to grow. In Poland, oilseed rape is the main oilseed crop that can be cultivated both as a summer crop in the cooler agricultural regions as well as a winter crop in the more temperate zones.

In 2014, Bayer CropScience’s new winter oilseed rape variety Jumper™ was harvested in Poland for the first time. Jumper™ is characterized by very high early vigor and extremely vigorous performance from emergence to flowering. It is a mid-high, mid-early variety with good lodging resistance, yield potential and oil content. Another much appreciated property of Jumper™ is its high thousand grain weight.

Today, Bayer CropScience offers 35 oilseed rape varieties in Europe. The company is committed to cooperation to push forward the development of new high-yielding hybrid oilseed rape varieties. For instance, Bayer CropScience experts are working on further improving the product pipeline in regard to yields and resistance to diseases.