Bayer explores low carbon breeding while juggling consumer needs

That's the summation from the head of protected crops for Bayer Vegetable Seeds, Anne Williams.

Ms Williams heads up the agri-chemical giant's Low Carbon Breeding Program which is focused on innovating protected cropping commodities.

Two years into the program, Ms Williams said she is optimistic about the work which pushes for lower carbon emissions not by necessarily reducing inputs, but by increasing quality.

The research team is investigating the thesis that reducing carbon will require a more reliable product, one that is more likely to be purchased and eaten by the consumer, and that will hold its quality along the cold chain.

"If it doesn't look or taste at least the same or as good, then you get food waste," Ms Williams said.

Part of the challenge has been opening people's eyes to the fact that sustainable agriculture might involve glass, steel and high tech of the kinds used in protected cropping environments.

"There's this vision that sustainability means someone sitting in a pair of dungarees with a basket, picking one tomato off one tomato plant... you can't feed the world like that," she said.

"Unit conversion of energy from input to output ratio in green and glasshouse agriculture is the best in the world... and is far less water intensive".

It also means greater food security, through protection from insects and other environmental challenges experienced in open field agriculture, as well as a greater capacity to screen for challenging circumstances.

Whole-of-supply-chain approach

THE program considers factors across the whole supply chain.

The first step in the process is a screening stage which considers how certain products in Bayer's development pipeline react under different circumstances.

For example, how temperature affects yield or how changes to the growing environment will affect quality.

The process uses a digital plant management system which allows the Bayer team to view progress digitally as well as visually.

Benefits to flow around the globe

IN a scenario most researchers would dream of, there is no deadline to the project.

"This is a continuous improvement process...it's about improving the efficiency of everything so that we can improve the photosynthetic ability of a plant further down the line," Ms Williams said.

The "heart" of the program is in the Netherlands, but it's rolling out across Europe, and on its way next to North America and Australia.

That said, the benefits of the program are already extending beyond the area of operations.

"Our market development teams, and our research and development teams are learning a lot more about how to manage varieties in more challenging conditions and how to optimise performance...those kinds of things are already being communicated," Ms Williams said.

"You'll see those being coordinated more into agronomic guidance and management as early as next year. It's such a hot topic and so important that anything we can pull as early as we can, we will."

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