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Today's technology offers exciting possibilities for
refining plant characteristics to meet the needs of
customers, but pursuing these opportunities calls for
extensive, highly specialized resources.For centuries, breeders have identified desirable characteristics in plants and have worked with plant crosses and selective breeding to develop increasingly superior crops. The part of the seed that contains the genetic roadmap to these desirable characteristics is found in its genetics. A high quality genetic base has traditionally been viewed as the most important element of a breeding program, along with the knowledge and skills to improve and build upon that base. Syngenta Seeds' plant breeding programs focus on crops where there is a high potential to develop superior genetics that deliver consumer-preferred traits. For these crops, in combining resources, Syngenta has a full complement of scientists, state-of-the-art research facilities and a wealth of successful germplasm from around the world.  
While traditional breeding approaches have worked well,
they can be very time consuming and sometimes
inefficient. Each plant has tens of thousands of genes,
so crossing two plants results in a multitude of
combinations. With advances in technology, scientists
can now precisely identify through marker technology
some of the individual genes responsible for producing a
particular characteristic. Traits such as fruit color or
resistance to a particular pest, make breeding new
varieties quicker and more precise.New technologies have opened doors to certain improvements that were not possible before. Marker Technology Marker technology helps indicate the presence of specific characteristics in plants. In marker-assisted breeding, lab analysis and identification of the "marker" linked to a gene supplements the time-consuming process of crossing plants, growing them and selecting the best in the field or greenhouse. Biotechnology With an even more precise method, known as modern biotechnology, a single gene for a trait can be isolated from a plant or other organism, and transferred to the desired plant. Instead of tens of thousands of gene combinations, the breeder changes just one or a few gene sequences, making the process much more precise. Biotechnology also has great potential in developing traits that are attractive to consumers, such as plant oils with reduced saturated fat content or improved nutritional values. ATTRIBUTE® Sweet Corn - A product of biotechnology Syngenta Seeds/ROGERS brand led the crop biotechnology industry in the development of sweet corn hybrids protected from corn borer and corn earworm, insect pests that destroy millions of dollars worth of crops each year. A gene from a common soil bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis ("Bt") confers resistance to these insects. It was transferred to our seed product which is marketed as ATTRIBUTE®. |
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