Syngentas research and development in Crop Protection, Professional Products and Seeds is focused in four areas:

Chemical invention to discover new active
    ingredients

The launch of five new active ingredients since the creation of Syngenta resulted in almost $700 million in sales in 2004. CALLISTO® is already a leader in the US corn market, and ACTARA/CRUISER is setting new standards of performance for insect control. Two more major active ingredients are on track for launch: pinoxaden is a new, high performance selective herbicide for broad-spectrum weed control in cereals, target launch 2006; 446 is a fungicide with a new mode of action for vines and vegetables, target launch 2007.

Expanding applications for existing active
    ingredients

To meet diverse market needs and exploit global marketing strength, over 240 new product registrations based on existing active ingredients were obtained in 2004. Combination products, bringing the qualities of two or more active ingredients together to meet specific farmer needs, are important elements in this strategy. Examples include AMISTAR Opti for the control of resistant Septoria disease in Europe, PRIORIXtra for soybean rust in Latin America, and LUMAX and LEXAR, broad-spectrum herbicides in the CALLISTO® family.

Development of advanced seed varieties

Syngentas leading plant germplasm and breeding techniques ensure a constant flow of innovation. Approximately 40 per cent of the 3,000 Seeds products have been launched in the past three years. In Field Crops, farmers look for higher yields, crop quality and convenience through improved varieties and input traits. The acquisition of GA21 glyphosate tolerance technology and a strong pipeline of further input traits, including corn rootworm and stacked traits, have considerably strengthened the companys position in corn. In Vegetables and Flowers, novelty and quality are the dominant growth drivers. Molecular markerassisted technology is accelerating the stream of future innovation, leading to hundreds of new product introductions each year.

Development of new biotechnology traits

Advances in biotechnology allow the development of exciting new products beyond agricultural input traits. Principal among these are a range of projects to develop industrial enzyme products for the animal feed and bioprocessing sectors. Syngenta aims to source such products initially from microbial production and, ultimately, directly from crops. Longer term, the company will be offering biotechnology applications in human therapy based on proteins produced in microorganisms and plants.

QUANTUM Phytase, a microbial-produced animal feed supplement that helps poultry and pigs digest the minerals necessary for healthy growth, was launched in Mexico and Brazil. Regulatory authorities in South Africa also approved QUANTUM Phytase; application has been made for FDA registration in the important US market.