Bayer CropScience to invest in plant health research

"Only with innovations in the field of plant health can agriculture continue to produce sufficient quantities of high-quality food in future,” said Dr. Alexander Klausener, Head of Research at Bayer CropScience, to an audience of representatives of scientific institutions as well as policy makers and journalists during his visit to the company’s research site in Lyon, France. Bayer CropScience’s scientists in Lyon are working on new technologies to improve the stress, climate and pest tolerance of major crop plants. Their objective is to increase the yield and quality of agricultural produce. Bayer CropScience invested a total of approximately EUR 10 million into technology upgrading of its research site in Lyon in 2007 and 2008.

With expenditures of EUR 649 million in research and development in 2008, Bayer is one of the leading innovative companies in the agricultural industry. Lyon is one of a total of nine Bayer CropScience research and development sites worldwide which is specialized in fungicides and plant health research. Worldwide, 3,850 scientists work for the Bayer subgroup. “Innovations are primarily the achievement of our highly qualified, creative and motivated employees,” said Klausener in Lyon.

Klausener emphasized the importance of agricultural research for sustainably safeguarding the global food supply. “All available tools, from chemical crop protection to plant biotechnology, must be used to safeguard harvest yields and increase productivity,” he said. Fluopyram, the new active ingredient presented by Klausener in Lyon, will make a contribution in this regard. The crop protection molecule with an estimated annual peak sales potential of more than EUR 150 million is scheduled to reach market maturity in 2010.

"Plant health” research group established

Another item on the extensive agenda for the visit was the official opening of a laboratory for a newly established research group, “Plant Health Science and Technology”. This interdisciplinary research unit leverages experience in chemical research and molecular biology. Klausener stressed the importance of knowledge transfer in making new findings accessible for practical applications. To this end, the successful collaborations with public and state institutions in France including the universities will be continued and intensified.