Top company officials cut the grand-opening banner on a new state-of-the-art greenhouse, July 20, at Bayer CropScience's North American headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C.. The facility represents an investment of $20 million for the company.
The greenhouse is designed to conduct GM (genetically modified) and non-GM trait research, and will also support discovery research for molecular breeding
The greenhouse is approximately 60,000 square feet in total, with about 30,000 square feet in greenhouse space.
Bayer CropScience Opens High-Tech Greenhouse in RTP
Bayer CropScience says it will be a key facility in the expansion of BioScience research and development activities within the United States. Bayer notes its bioscience unit saw a 36.6% increase in sales and saw double-digit sales growth in each of the main crops, cotton, canola, rice and vegetables; the largest increase was in the cotton seed business in North America.
Bayer seed varieties include the popular FiberMax, Stoneville and Surpass brands. The company also produces LibertyLink and GlyTol herbicide tolerant technologies.
The company notes its cotton research and development efforts take a number of directions, including increasing yields, improving biotic and abiotic stress tolerance and enhancing fiber quality.
Soybean varieties offer growers high yields and effective weed management, again using LibertyLink herbicide tolerant technology.
Canola is another crop that is becoming popular in the Carolina-Virginia region. The company notes its InVigor hybrids offer high yields under a wide variety of conditions.
Bayer CropScience is investing significantly in genetics and technology in its efforts to improve wheat seeds and wheat breeding.
Interestingly, the greenhouse, dubbed by Bayer CropScience as Greenhouse 5, is not only cutting edge in its mission, but its design is also thoroughly modern, with ecology-minded water and energy use, as well as the selection of special-use building materials like diffusion glass in outside windows.
For more information make sure to see the cover story of Carolina-Virginia Farmer magazine's September issue.
In addition, you can learn more about the company and its products at Bayer CropScience website located at http://.www.bayercropscience.us/