According to a press release distributed by Syngenta April 6, that company has entered a public-private relationship with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) to focus on the development and advancement of technology in wheat. The agreement will entail joint research and development in the areas of native and GM traits, hybrid wheat and the combination of seeds and crop protection to accelerate plant yield performance.

 

John Atking, Syngenta's Chief Operating Officer of Crop Protection, says the agreement will allow the two entities to collaborate on complemenatry assets, capabilities and geographic focus to increase wheat production, and advance wheat technology more quickly and efficiently than either can do on its own.

 

The agreement, "...leverages Syngenta's highly developed genetic marker technology, advanced traits platform and wheat breeding for the developed world, along with CIMMYT's access to wheat genetic diversity, global partnership network and wheat breeding program targeted for the developing world."

 

The press release continues that public-private collaboration is esential for advancing agricultur eto meet global challenges such as food security, climate change, natural resource depletion and access to technology.

 

Furthermore, wheat is, "...a key crop for Syngenta; this partnership will strengthen the company's global presence and reinforce its position as a leader in the worldwide commercial seeds market. For CIMMYT, the partnership will strengthen its ability to use world whea tgenetic resources and cutting-edge technologies to develop robust wheat varieties for disadvantaged farmers in developing countries and public research systems worldwide."

 

In August, 2009, the Syngenta Foundation launched a Ug99 stem rust resistance research partnership with Syngenta and CIMMYT to facilitate the development of durable rust resistance.

 

For more information, log onto www.syngenta.com or www.cimmyt.org.