05/15/08 Invinsa technology for crop stress protection

Farm and Ranch May 15, 2008 In just a couple of years wheat growers and other field crop producers may have a product to spray on their crops to protect them during times of drought and high temperature stress. Syngenta recently entered an alliance with AgroFresh, a subsidiary of Rohm and Hass, to develop Invinsa technology. Jamie Eichorn of Syngenta explains how Invinsa works. Eichorn: "If you think about plants they produce ethylene, which is the substance that triggers the dying of the plant. What Invinsa does it actually inhibits the production of ethylene in the plant. And so if you think about during stressful times during heat and drought stress that plant is slowing down and what Invinsa does is actually impact that ethylene production." Eichorn says much research has been done but more is needed. He says they do know Invinsa would be a foliar application but timing and so forth has yet to be determined. He says this year is a key year for research. The strategic alliance between Syngenta and AgroFresh will focus on major field crops including corn, soybeans, wheat, sunflower, rice and canola and development is on a fast-track. The market for the technology is provisionally estimated to be in excess of 500-million dollars. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.