DuPont Pioneer celebrated today the opening of its Multi-Crop Technology Center in Seville, Spain. The center's expert researchers will focus on continuing to increase yields and expanding the Pioneer Protector® defensive native trait lineup, which currently offers solutions for major sunflower pests.
Combined with one of the largest local testing and technical sales specialist network in Europe, this new center uniquely enables Pioneer to better provide growers with the hybrids and technologies most adapted to their local needs.
“The investment in this state-of-the art research center in Seville demonstrates our ongoing commitment to innovation,” said Alejandro Munoz, Vice President, Global Commercial Business, DuPont Pioneer. “The critical work done at the facility will help ensure our customers continue to plant the most advanced products available and achieve sustainable year-over -year yield gain,” continued Munoz.
In cooperation with Pioneer research centers in the region and worldwide, the Seville Multi-Crop Technology Center will focus on significantly accelerating the development of sunflower products by leveraging the most advanced breeding technologies and genetic pool. With superior forward breeding and trait integration capabilities, these breeding technologies have the potential to deliver products with twice the rate of yield gain compared to current breeding methods.
“The new Seville research center will enable Pioneer to provide farmers access to the latest innovations in genetic resistance,” said Arlo Thompson, research director, Europe, DuPont Pioneer. “All this will result in decreased risk of yield and revenue loss, and a reliable yield protection with outstanding crop safety,” added Thompson.
Pioneer invested almost USD 10 million in the Seville research center, which currently employs 16 full-time employees and additional seasonal staff from the surrounding area to support both research efforts and warehousing activities.
The extensive breeding and testing capacity of Pioneer Europe, with more than 100,000 test plots across the region, will allow European customers to plant high-performing sunflower hybrid options for all conditions, including very early maturities and drought prone environments.
In addition to sunflower, Pioneer is evaluating its Pioneer® brand corn hybrids for drought stress tolerance at the Multi-Crop Technology Center in Seville. There are many mechanisms that contribute to improved drought tolerance, and Pioneer's main goal is to incorporate a broad base of native traits to deliver yield stability to our customers. Pioneer® brand Optimum® AQUAmax® hybrids contain targeted native traits that enable corn to improve water use efficiency during low moisture stress and offer farmers greater yield stability and improved yields under water-limited conditions.
