EXCLUSIVE: First images of Smart Corn by Bayer in Brazil

Date:03-13-2023

At the invitation of the multinational Bayer, AgroPages exclusively obtained the first images of the ″Smart Corn″ developed by Bayer in Brazil.

The photos were taken during a recent visit by AgroPages to the Bayer unit located in the city of Santa Cruz das Palmeiras, in the interior of the Brazilian state of São Paulo.

At the time, we could check out this low-height maize, specially developed to maintain the current high Brazilian productivity, but having a third less height than standard-height maize hybrids.

One of the critical benefits of Bayer's Smart Corn is that it facilitates the precision application of pesticides. It can be sprayed more directly onto vital parts of the plant.

The technology improves plant stability, including better tolerance to stem lodging and green snap, to help reduce crop loss from challenging environmental conditions and extreme weather, such as high winds.

 

Bayer's Smart Corn enables more precise application of crop protection and optimized use of key inputs such as nitrogen.

″The short stature corn captures sunlight, optimizes essential nutrients such as nitrogen, and withstands high winds and challenging weather conditions, meaning more grain can be harvested,″ Bayer said.

Genetic modification, however, will not come alone: Bayer is preparing a complete system platform to manage corn more sustainably through the ″Smart Corn System″.

The company says the system allows producers to make the most of Bayer's entire portfolio of digital tools, personalized prescriptions for seed and crop protection, crop health management, and optimization of planting density.

 

″Shorter plants also make cornfields more accessible to standard soil equipment during the season, creating the opportunity for more timely and precise applications of crop protection products and other inputs,″ the German-based company noted.

Bayer said its scientists sorted corn genes to "identify and select for existing genetic traits in corn that affect its height" and combined "better genetic understanding and digital processes" to take advantage of "what previous generations of farmers and scientists could only dream."

According to the manufacturer, the Smart Corn System can transform the way corn is produced, ″having the potential to change the game and help farmers manage risk and unlock yield potential in the face of ever-changing challenges.″

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)