Syngenta, BASF sign sunflower technology licensing agreements

Syngenta and BASF announced the signing of a global, non-exclusive agreement in which BASF will license its Clearfield® Plus herbicide tolerance technology for sunflowers to Syngenta. In addition, the companies entered into a non-exclusive agreement under which BASF will supply Syngenta with imazamox-based herbicides for use with Clearfield and Clearfield Plus sunflowers in Europe.

"The Clearfield Plus Production System for sunflowers, developed using traditional plant breeding, delivers improved, season-long weed control and provides growers with sunflowers that have greater crop tolerance across environmental stresses as well as the potential for increased oil content and grain yield,” said Eckart Stein, Vice President Marketing Management Europe for BASF Crop Protection. "Combined with Syngenta’s outstanding portfolio of hybrid seeds, growers will have more opportunities to achieve sustainable higher sunflower yields.”

Ioana Tudor, Head of Diverse Field Crops at Syngenta, said: “We are pleased to work with BASF to increase the choices sunflower growers will have to maximize their yield and competitiveness. In Eastern Europe, for example, the Clearfield Plus technology and associated herbicides, combined with Syngenta’s best in class sunflower varieties, will help address the serious broomrape challenge.”

Syngenta will commercialize both the herbicide tolerance technology and the chemistry beginning in 2013.

The financial terms of the agreements have not been disclosed.