Twenty-five years ago, the merger of the crop protection and seed expertise of pharmaceutical companies Novartis and AstraZeneca gave rise to Syngenta, a company that today brings together more than 260 years of agricultural knowledge. At this year’s edition of Fruit Attraction, Syngenta presents in Madrid its latest innovations in crop protection and seed breeding, with a common goal: helping farmers produce more with fewer resources, adapt to climate change, and ensure quality food for a growing global population.
Plant breeding for advanced protection against pests and diseases
In Syngenta’s Vegetable Seeds unit, innovation focuses on developing new varieties with the widest possible spectrum of resistances against the main diseases threatening farmers today. Pathogens such as the New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) in cucurbits or the Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV) have drastically reduced yields and profitability in recent years.
Luis Martín, Head of Vegetable Seeds for Southwest Europe, explains: “We place farmers at the center of our research and development, providing them with increasingly resistant varieties that optimize input use, reduce losses and food waste, and at the same time increase productivity while maintaining high quality and excellent flavor.”
At Fruit Attraction, the Kumato® brand celebrates its 20 years of leadership in a category that was created with the Kumato® tomato, presenting new innovations in its range with resistance to ToBRFV and ToLCNDV, along with other concepts such as the Yoom™, Nébula and Onuba tomatoes, the seedless sweet snack peppers under the Angello™ brand, and the Glacial extra-sweet white corn. In the Marmande tomato type, Syngenta has showcased a wide palette of colors —chocolate, pink, purple— and large traditional multilocular varieties that stand out for their exceptional texture and flavors.
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In pepper cultivation, Syngenta is a benchmark in the Spanish market, and the company continues to present new varieties while improving existing ones, which already included four key resistances for this crop, adapting to today’s needs and reinforcing its commitment to plant health and growers’ profitability.
Crop protection and integrated biostimulation to boost productivity
“The combination of the best chemical, genetic, biological, digital and precision science, together with the application of good regenerative and conservation agriculture practices, is the way in which Syngenta seeks to transform agriculture in the face of today’s major challenges,” said Ronan de Hercé, General Manager of Syngenta Spain and Portugal.
In crop protection, the company is presenting at Fruit Attraction its advanced fungicide technologies Orondis© Evo and Orondis© Forte, designed to combat the main fungi threatening harvests. These solutions are complemented by biological innovations aimed at stimulating crops to withstand growing abiotic stress, while improving soil health and productivity by optimizing the microbiome. In this field, Syngenta has developed the biostimulants VITASEVE, which optimizes sap circulation in the plant; VIVA, which improves soil health; MC EXTRA, which ensures balanced crop development; and the biofungicide EBUDIM, which activates plants’ defense systems against downy mildew, powdery mildew, and botrytis.
All these solutions will be showcased to visitors at Syngenta’s stand in Hall 9 (Stand D24).
