Una vida útil significativamente más larga en comparación con el concepto original de Plene debería mejorar la logística de transporte y hacer que la tecnología esté ampliamente disponible.
Syngenta anunció planes el miércoles para llevar su plataforma Plene de soluciones integradas de caña de azúcar a escala comercial.
A través de un acuerdo de licencia exclusiva con New Energy Farms, Syngenta accederá a un innovador sistema de siembra de caña de azúcar en Brasil llamado CEEDS (Crop Expansion Encapsulation and Drilling System).
According to Syngenta, the new Plene offer will be based on encapsulated plant tissue produced in a controlled environment. It provides a higher multiplication rate and a lower unit cost per ton compared with conventional planting systems. The new Plene will use high-quality plants from Syngenta’s biofactory in Itápolis and will offer a step change in sugar cane planting in terms of speed and quality.
“Significantly longer shelf life compared with the original Plene concept should improve transportation logistics and make the technology broadly available,” the company said. The target market is some two million hectares planted annually in Brazil, with commercialization starting in 2017.
Syngenta Chief Operating Officer, John Atkin, said: “We have added another innovative technology to our Plene platform. This will make the planting process for growers more efficient and will bring them high quality genetic material at scale. By multiplying in a controlled environment, we can eliminate field production uncertainties and related economic risks.”
Dr Paul Carver, CEO of New Energy Farms, said: “We have been developing the CEEDS technology since 2009 and have demonstrated that it is very effective on a number of vegetatively propagated crops. We are excited that the expertise and infrastructure of Syngenta will enable the commercialization of this technology on sugar cane in Brazil.”
Brazil is the world’s largest sugar cane producer, producing more than 40% of the world’s sugar cane. The country has more than doubled production in the past 10 years. Further growth is expected supported by Brazil’s leading role in meeting an increase in global sugar demand.