Syngenta Australia and Metagen have announced a collaboration to research and develop innovative biological solutions derived from natural sources, to manage crop resilience while benefiting soil health in a variety of crops.
The global plant health company and Metagen, an agricultural biotechnology firm based in the Lockyer Valley and specialising in microbial solutions, say they will be developing new technologies to help farmers improve crop yields while enhancing the crop environment.
The partnership will leverage Syngenta’s expertise in crop protection and seed treatment technologies, along with Metagen's cutting-edge microbial solutions and advancement of soil microbial DNA assessment, with the goal of delivering products to better promote sustainable agriculture practices.
Syngenta managing director Australia New Zealand, Paul Luxton, says his business is excited to partner with Metagen to develop innovative solutions to help farmers improve productivity and regeneration.
"Syngenta is committed to providing growers biological solutions as part of an integrated crop management system, providing farmers with the flexibility to bring together different solutions to suit their specific cropping challenges.
“This partnership is a testament to our mutual foundation in science-based innovation, our commitment to sustainable agriculture and our belief that collaboration is key to driving innovation in our industry and ensuring the next generation of biologicals gets into the hands of farmers,” Mr Luxton said.
Metagen founder Shane Fitzgerald said in the past decade the company has methodically built its team to incorporate expertise in chemistry, process engineering, agronomy, microbiology, DNA analysis, bioinformatics and intelligent computing.
“We are pushing the boundaries of research to deliver innovative and sustainable technologies with a singular focus to shape our customers profitability and sustainability,” Mr Fitzgerald said.
Metagen research director Neil Wilson says working with Syngenta will allow expansion across research platforms over a wider range of crops and growers, in support of a sustainable future in agriculture.
"Our innovative technologies have the potential to revolutionise agriculture by improving soil health and plant growth and we look forward to working with Syngenta to bring these benefits to more farmers," Dr Wilson said.
The partnership between Syngenta Australia and Metagen is a significant step forward in the development of sustainable agriculture practices and underscores the importance of collaboration in driving innovation in the industry.
