Bayer Crop Science recently announced a significant achievement to help address one of the biggest yield challenges facing corn farmers. Researchers were successful in inoculating test plots with tar spot, a major step in gaining a better understanding of the disease to help develop new DEKALB^® and Channel^® Brand corn products with improved tolerance to this threat.

That advancement is part of a much broader research and development program by Bayer to help farmers combat plant diseases threatening corn, as well as soybeans (for example, white mold protection), cotton, wheat and other crops.

The company’s disease management efforts focus on breeding new products with enhanced genetic tolerance, as well as innovative new fungicides and other crop protection products. Bayer’s investment in its R&D product pipeline leads the seed and crop protection industry by a 2-to-1 margin. More than half of the company’s research efforts support seeds and traits, with the remainder dedicated to chemistry.

“Our research teams are working to improve the future of our portfolio to better meet the agronomic needs of our customers,” said Ryan Tichich, Bayer market development manager. “Our breeders are identifying new genetic combinations with tolerance to tar spot and other diseases via our precision breeding strategy.”

With these new precision breeding capabilities, the company expects to reduce one breeding cycle from six years to four months — more than doubling the rate of genetic gain by 2030. This approach represents one of the most transformational changes in the history of plant breeding.

Bayer is also leading advances in crop protection. “Our strong crop protection discovery platform has yielded new modes of actions with novel profiles. Bayer recently moved a corn fungicide into phase 3 testing, aiming to offer growers a new broad spectrum disease control option towards the end of the decade,” said Mercedes Diaz Arias, Bayer North America market development manager – broad acre fungicide & nematicides.

Shown above and at top is Bayer’s fully automated greenhouse in Marana, Arizona, which serves as the company’s global product design center for corn. Photo submitted by Bayer Crop Science.

Marana facility

Supporting the R&D process, Bayer in 2020 opened its first fully automated greenhouse in Marana, Arizona. The approximately $100 million facility serves as a global product design center for corn.

The Marana facility capitalizes on advancements in proprietary seed chipping, advanced marker technology, automation and data science. The approximately 7 acres of growing space have been designed for the sustainable use of inputs throughout the research process.

Integrated management approach

Every year, multiple leaf diseases can impact farmers’ cornfields. These include gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight, southern rust, tar spot and more. Plant health aspects such as photosynthetic capability, stress tolerance, standability and grain quality can all be impacted when fungal diseases become established.

Tar spot symptoms are distinctive and look like specks of tar on the leaf. Photo submitted by Bayer Crop Science.

While new product development continues, it’s important for farmers to take a holistic approach to disease management. Agronomic best practices include:

To learn more about Bayer’s disease management R&D, visit Bayer at major farm shows, consult with your DEKALB or Channel technical agronomist, review the brands’ local test plot data and visit https://www.cropscience.bayer.us/c/tar-spot-guide.

_{Commercialization is dependent on multiple factors, including successful conclusion of the regulatory process. The information presented herein is provided for educational purposes only, and is not and shall not be construed as an offer to sell, or a recommendation to use, any unregistered pesticide for any purpose whatsoever. It is a violation of federal law to promote or offer to sell an unregistered pesticide.
Performance may vary, from location to location and from year to year, as local growing, soil and environmental conditions may vary. Growers should evaluate data from multiple locations and years whenever possible and should consider the impacts of these conditions on their growing environment.
The recommendations in this material are based upon trial observations and feedback received from a limited number of growers and growing environments. These recommendations should be considered as one reference point and should not be substituted for the professional opinion of agronomists, entomologists or other relevant experts evaluating specific conditions.
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