Bayer CropScience and Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) are researching the environmental impact of new-generation crops such as cereals.
Bayer CropScience and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national research agency, have expanded their collaboration to include assessing the sustainability of new-generation crops. The two-year agreement will develop and apply models to assess the consequences of new cereal varieties for the ecosystem and food security.
The project is based on many years of cooperation and a research and licensing agreement for cereals concluded in June 2009. While the latter is focused on developing crop varieties that give higher yields, use nutrients more efficiently and have better stress tolerance, the new project will assess their full environmental impact, including their influence on the carbon footprint of cereal production. The findings will be published in international science forums to ensure transparency and objectivity in evaluating the results.
“Innovation and sustainability are the foundation of our business. We are convinced that innovative, new-generation crops can deliver greater yields per hectare while requiring less resources such as water and energy. This project will develop methodology to assess these benefits at a plant, field, country and global level”, said Dr. Joachim Schneider, Head of the BioScience business unit of Bayer CropScience.
“New-generation crops offer enormous potential for helping to meet the future demand for food. Their lower input requirements and more efficient use of water, energy and nutrients mean they also have the potential to diminish negative environmental impacts. That also includes reducing greenhouse gases,” says Dr. Brian Keating, Director of CSIRO’s new Sustainable Agriculture Flagship project.