February 29, 2008

Syngenta donates corn genetic stocks to further corn research

Press Release

Syngenta announced it will donate a portion of its Allelic Diversity platform to the Maize Functional Diversity Group who, with other researchers, will use it to help accelerate the global knowledge of corn genetics for the ultimate benefit of growers worldwide.
 
The donation was announced at the 50th Annual Maize Genetics Conference in Washington, DC.
 

The Maize Functional Diversity Group is a consortium of leading senior researchers at universities and other research centers devoted to improving knowledge of corn genetics.
 
Syngenta will donate approximately 7500 corn genetic stocks that contain segments of ancestral DNA and the marker data associated with the lines for public research. This will help the Group and other researchers make concrete use of knowledge of the corn genome to improve delivery of complex corn traits.
 
Current breeding methods have enabled continued increases in corn yields, driving it to become the largest crop in the Americas, with an annual production of approximately 600 million tonnes. However, emerging science is opening new avenues to help researchers understand and improve crops.
 

"Our ability to rapidly and efficiently leverage allelic diversity is key to a future of improved corn harvests," said Ray Riley, head Corn and Soybean Product Development at Syngenta.
 
"This contribution is part of Syngenta's ongoing commitment to advance the science needed to bring more valuable and yield-enhancing products for benefit of growers and consumers."
 
Explicit in the Syngenta donation is enablement and encouragement of unencumbered reporting of scientific findings related to the use of the donated materials. Those who access the genetic resources donated by Syngenta will agree not to obtain intellectual property rights on the material or knowledge gained through their use of the donated materials. In partnership with the GENERATION Challenge Programme, (GCP) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), Syngenta will also aid in the dissemination of the nearly isogenic line populations to researchers worldwide.
 

"This donation is very opportune for public research as this plant material will boost the identification of new alleles relevant to maize breeding," commented Jean-Marcel Ribaut, GCP Director. "Our broad network of partners, such as the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), should ensure wide distribution of this genetic resource and meaningful impact, in particular to the global South."
 
Syngenta is a leading agribusiness ranking third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2007 were approximately US$9.2 billion.