Basel, Switzerland
September 27, 2012
On August 14th-15th, more than 60 research and technical experts gathered in Mar de Plata, Argentina, at the LAS (Latin American South) Root Health Forum, exchanged knowledge and latest study results on Root Health. It was the second of six regional Root Health Forums that Syngenta is hosting around the world over the course of 2012, following the European Root Health Forum in France/Switzerland earlier this year.
“We have seen a rich exchange of experiences and regional perspectives at the Forum that we hope will help further the scientific discussion in Latin America on Root Health and the role that healthy roots play in improving yield”, comments Adolfo Bertachini, Seed Care Asset Manager Latin America South from Syngenta.
In his opening comments, Ing. Agr. Sebastian Lisanti, Institute for Agricultural Plant Physiology and Ecology (FAUBA* – CONICET**), Argentina, focused on the influence of root systems on early crop development and plant growth. Exchanges included technical overviews on Rhizoctonia for Argentina, Brazil and USA, updates on root studies and root scanner trials in Argentina, as well as technical data and field results on VIBRANCE™, the new seed treatment advancement with RootingPower™ from Syngenta. Participants also visited the Syngenta Research Center at Carnet, Buenos Aires where they could see specific trials on Root Health, rhizotrones demo plots and root scanner experiments.
“Experts increasingly recognize that roots are the new frontier of crop productivity. Root Health is a fairly untapped research area and one that bears enormous potential”, explains Christian Schlatter, Global Asset Manager and Crop Lead from Syngenta. “To better understand Root Health and its impact on higher, more stable yields, we need a holistic view of the plant and soil environment, and an integrated scientific approach. Syngenta is focusing on Root Health as one solution to help farmers grow more from less.”
To stimulate the worldwide exchange of research on Root Health and the link to plant performance, Syngenta created the Root Health Forums and the Global Root Health Network on LinkedIn® professional networking services bringing together leading experts on Root Health from private, public and nonprofit institutions worldwide. The first global Root Health Forum took place in USA in 2011. A second Global Root Health Forum is being planned for 2013 in Beijing, China.
Please click here for more information on Root Health
For more information on the Global Root Health Network, a group hosted by Syngenta on LinkedIn® professional networking services please contact melanie.goll@syngenta.com or explore the group on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=3773669. This group brings together leading technical experts from private, public and nonprofit institutions worldwide to exchange knowledge about Root Health and the link to plant performance. Currently, the Global Root Health Network gathers more than 300 members.
* FAUBA - Faculty of Agronomy, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
** CONICET - Argentina National Research Council
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