Syngenta currently operates 18 Seedcare Institutes with more than 120 experts globally. It said in statement that it plans to establish additional biological service centers to more Institutes in the future.

Biological seed treatment solutions ensure healthy crop establishment, by safeguarding plants from pests and improving their ability to access available nutrients. Only tiny amounts are necessary to coat the seed, helping increase soil health and protecting biodiversity and the environment. However, the incorporation of living organisms can present new challenges to developing biological seed treatment solutions, which will need to take into account factors such as biological compatibility and on-seed survivability, said Syngenta.

“Our leadership in biological innovation and seed treatment is built on our ability to constantly enhance and adapt our service offers,” said Jonathan Brown, global head of Syngenta’s Seedcare business unit. “This new biologicals service center enables the successful use of biologicals as seed-applied solutions through shared practical knowledge and resources. As the industry collaborator of choice, we look forward to launching new solutions together with our partners.”

According to Syngenta, the biologicals service center in Maintal offers specialized expertise to support the application of new biological seed treatments. These include competence in microbiology – from understanding the viability on-seed and in-mixture with other active ingredients, the ability to develop assays for all microbial products, to expertise on the handling of sensitive biologicals throughout the process. It can also provide advisory on water quality and recipe compatibility, on-seed survivability measurement, guidelines for storage, handling and cleaning, and specialized training on proper stewardship of biologicals.