Syngenta opens high-tech crop lab

US-based Syngenta unveiled a new crop research facility at its RTP Innovation Center in North Carolina. The first of its kind, the $72 million Advanced Crop Lab allows company researchers to simulate any agricultural climate (from Iowa to Africa) and help solve crop stresses of drought and insect pressures.

Design elements of the new facility include insulated glass walls that provide a shadowless indoor environment, a liquid “fertigation” system to feed and water the plants and an automated roof-washing system. The 136,000-square-foot facility building is Green Globes Certified, which recognises the company’s sustainable construction processes.  (Photo courtesy of Syngenta)