(from Bayer.com news)
How do we grow enough to feed and fuel the world around us? Could we create a more sustainable, healthy and resilient food system while helping farmers create better harvests with less land, water and energy? We believe we can. And we believe that work starts before the seed even reaches the soil.
On a farm, the challenges can mount quickly. Weeds, crop disease, and pests are just the beginning. Today, climate change, declining natural resources, and supply chain issues are making the job even more complex.
And farmers are serving a world that needs them more than ever — a world where 800 million people still face hunger every day. At this pivotal moment we need breakthrough technologies for a smarter approach. We need entirely new systems that optimize our inputs and outcomes.
And we need to do it all in a way that sustainably benefits the environment and growers. But when we rise to tackle these challenges in the field…we’re discovering when the stakes are high, the solutions may be short.
A combination of better genetic understanding and digital processes has finally harnessed what previous generations of farmers and scientists could only dream about.
Changing the way a plant grows is not a short process to explain, but here’s the key kernel: it all starts inside the seed, with the genetics, where our scientists can identify and select existing genetic traits in corn that affect its height.
The result: shorter corn. Short stature corn (just like shorter wheat and rice before it) has stronger stalks due to the reduced height, which are less likely to break or fall over in high winds.
Shorter plants also make the corn fields more accessible to standard ground equipment longer into the season, creating the opportunity for more timely, precise applications of crop protection products and other inputs.
Stronger plants, along with data and technology, can help feed the world’s growing population.
Learn more here.