Thanks to the registrations for the new fungicide bixafen in the United Kingdom and Germany Bayer CropScience is able to strengthen the product portfolio for use in cereal crops. Farmers in both countries can thus benefit from the new fungicide’s advantages in the fight against fungal diseases in wheat and barley. Bayer CropScience is marketing the product under the main brand name AviatorŽ XproŽ. Registrations in other European countries for products based on the new active ingredient are expected to follow soon.
Bayer is also investing considerable resources in research and development to increase the productivity of wheat cultivation and develop outstanding new varieties. For example, Bayer CropScience and Israeli company Evogene have entered into a five-year collaboration to accelerate the development and commercialization of improved wheat varieties. Improvements will be pursued for wheat yield, drought tolerance and fertilizer use efficiency. Bayer has also acquired the wheat breeding programs of two Ukrainian breeding companies, SORT and EUROSORT, based in Mironivka near the capital Kiev. The agreement will give Bayer CropScience access to outstanding wheat lines with excellent winter hardiness and drought tolerance.
To improve wheat breeding and generate new wheat varieties, the company has signed a non-exclusive agreement with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the United States. This public-private partnership will allow both parties to expand their wheat breeding programs and make innovative solutions available to wheat growers.
