BASF and Vipergen accelerate targeted research and development of sustainable crop protection products  Denmark – Farmers worldwide are facing the challenge of feeding a growing population while reducing the impact of agriculture on the environment to apply their  technology to discover new active ingredients for sustainable crop protection products more efficiently and quickly For the first time in the agricultural sector the research collaboration uses a technology from Vipergen that has already been applied successfully in the search for pharmaceutical active ingredients This new technology allows for the testing of novel chemical compounds on target proteins in living cells Tests in cells lead to more accurate results compared to conventional methods which use target proteins previously isolated from cells and purified in an elaborate process Testing can be performed on several million compounds looking at their uses in crop protection as well as their environmental impact all in a single experiment and in considerably shorter time Promising compounds can be easily identified through a specific DNA coding This targeted research approach can greatly accelerate the identification of new active ingredients “The collaboration with Vipergen will complement our set of tools aimed at developing novel sustainable crop protection solutions for a connected offer that will benefit farmers consumers and the environment,” said Juergen Huff Research and Development Crop Protection at BASF Agricultural Solutions we aim to identify active ingredients for new crop protection products more efficiently This helps to accelerate the development of new solutions that increase agricultural productivity and reduce environmental impacts.” “We are excited to partner with BASF to drive innovation for sustainable agriculture,” said Nils Hansen “Applying our Cellular Binder Trap Enrichment® technology to screen DNA-encoded libraries in living cells will quickly provide high-quality hits that BASF can use to develop new sustainable crop protection products.” BASF retains exclusive rights to globally commercialize all products resulting from the collaboration Financial details of the partnership were not disclosed Advertisement. Advertise with us senior research physician emeritus at Bassett Research Institute since retiring in 1996 at his home on the Bitterroot River in Montana a quiet person of integrity and acceptance but was a less-than-serious student: he skipped school to play pool he enlisted in the Army and spent nearly four years in the Signal Corps he was able to go to college and there he found his passion: science at the University of Rochester and then his Ph.D from The Rockefeller Institute in New York working most of his career at Bassett Hospital he researched tumor metabolism of fatty acids; his work was imaginative he started a new life in Montana and began woodworking Continuing his lifelong love of fly fishing he spent many happy hours on the Bitterroot Bird watching was an enduring interest and in his younger years he had enjoyed back packing in the Adirondacks with his family John Belushi and Jack Nicholson were among those who entertained him and his unique sense of humor were precious to his family and his treasured grandchildren: Beneth and Alix Goldschmidt-Sauer of Guilford Vt.; David Sauer and Jenna Murray of Portland Or.; Matt Sauer and Rocio Sanchez-Fernandez of Limburgerhof He was fortunate in that all of them were able to spend time with him in his last weeks The way he approached death was the last of many excellent examples he provided for how to live a life In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting a cause close to Len‘s heart:  children and wild places.   Two organizations he believed in were Save the Children (501 Kings Highway East, Suite 400, Fairfield, CT 06825) and The Bitter Root Land Trust (170 S. 2nd Street, Suite B, PO Box 1806, Hamilton, MT, 59840) and website in this browser for the next time I comment COLUMN VIEW FROM THE GAME It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide Editor’s Note:  Tim Mead particularly Scolinos’ famous speech “17 Inches.” Chris Sperry heard Scolinos deliver a version in 1996 at the American Baseball Coaches Association in Nashville and wrote this reminiscence in 1996 in his “Baseball Thoughts” column By CHRIS SPERRY • from www.sperrybaseballlife.com In 1996 Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching… Piper Seamon 5th CCS Girl To Hit High Mark The Cooperstown Central student section erupts as Piper Seamon scores her 1,000th career point in the Hawkeyes’ 57-39 win over Waterville at home last evening Seamon becomes the fifth girl and only the 14th player in school history overall to score 1,000 points Pipershares a hug with teammate Meagan Schuermann after the game was stopped to acknowledge her achievement Seamon will play basketball next year at Hamilton College (Cheryl Clough/AllOTSEGO.com)  … CLICK HERE FOR MEMO TO SCHOOLS Sports Can Resume Superintendents Told COOPERSTOWN – In a memo released Friday evening county Public Health Director Heidi Bond advised local school superintendents that sports can resume as early as Monday participants in higher-risk sports may participate in individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training,” Bond wrote “…including competitions and tournaments if permitted by local health authorities.”… New developments at the German industrial giants Bayer and BASF highlight the differing paths the two are taking as they seek to grow their agriculture businesses In its pursuit of the U.S.-based seeds giant Monsanto Bayer has raised its takeover offer to about $65 billion It made a $62 billion offer in May after Monsanto failed in its own bid to buy the Swiss crop chemical and seed firm Syngenta Bayer and Monsanto are now holding “advanced negotiations,” according to Bayer the combination will create an agricultural behemoth with more than $25 billion in annual sales The agriculture company that will result from the planned merger of Dow Chemical and DuPont plus ChemChina’s pending acquisition of Syngenta leave BASF as the only large agriculture player ACS’s Basic Package keeps you connected with C&EN and ACS $80 Regular Members & Society Affiliates ACS’s Standard Package lets you stay up to date with C&EN ACS’s Premium Package gives you full access to C&EN and everything the ACS Community has to offer leave BASF as the only large agriculture player not involved in a major tie-up with another company its competitors will be required to sell some number of overlapping businesses and we are actively pursuing opportunities arising from ongoing merger efforts to increase our footprint and value offer,” said Markus Heldt president of BASF’s crop protection division There will be opportunities for BASF to shop for additions to its portfolio a chemicals analyst at the investment bank Jefferies Sign up for C&EN's must-read weekly newsletter “BASF would likely be able to pick up some herbicide and insecticide assets but would likely face its own regulatory push-back in fungicides,” Alexander wrote in a note to investors which will provide farmers with a new mode of action against diseases such as rust in cereal crops This article has been sent to the following recipient: Copyright © 2025 American Chemical Society The Seed World Global Innovation Showdown Results are In! 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The new R&D center will boost BASF’s global network of R&D sites as well as trial centers in all regions that are dedicated to developing seed solutions and biologicals-based crop protection European Seed was given a firsthand look at the new center as part of BASF’s 2016 Global Press Conference held Sept Eighty-one journalists from 25 countries were in attendance at the event held in the heart of the company’s operations in Ludwigshafen and surrounding region The event highlighted how crucial seeds are for one of the world’s largest chemistry giants Held just days before the merger of Monsanto and Bayer was announced on Sept the global press conference allowed BASF to showcase its business plans and some of the people responsible for shaping those plans “Our investment in this expanded capacity is a step forward to unlocking the agricultural potential in seeds and crops in different and untapped ways,” said Philipp Rosendorfer vice president R&D Functional Crop Care for BASF’s Crop Protection division which consists of naturally occurring organisms or extracts thereof provides great opportunities to complement BASF’s chemical crop protection the combination between chemistry and biology generates a new range of pioneering solutions for seed treatment “With BASF’s unique skills in research and state-of-the art formulations we are one of a few companies that can provide a seed treatment with a mixture of both biological and chemical compounds This means farmers can have a well-protected and strengthened crop right from the beginning of its life.” Ulf Schlotterbeck has been working with BASF Seed Solutions for 10 years now Now the head for BASF Seed Solutions Technology he notes that BASF is the only major crop protection company not offering seeds That allows it to concentrate fully on seed solutions “We are dealing with the application of the products to the seeds,” he says and notes this gives the company a unique edge in being able to concentrate on seed solutions for growers “Seed treatment is one of the most important crop protection measures you can have because you apply the active ingredient right where it’s needed — on the surface of the seed It’s ecologically and economically a very attractive crop protection measure.” The company has a long history at its Ludwigshafen site in southwestern Germany It also plays an indispensable role in the company history books That rich history formed the backdrop for the 2016 Global Press Conference As a company with humble beginnings in Ludwigshafen that has grown into a global chemistry giant it was fitting that Crop Protection Division president Markus Heldt noted that the company is “Willing and ready to invest to grow its business globally.” He’s worked in the industry for 35 years and has witnessed a plethora of changes in that time including consolidation that’s served to change the landscape of the global ag business That landscape has changed even more now that Bayer announced its buyout of Monsanto for $66 billion The combined agriculture business will have its global Seeds & Traits and North American commercial headquarters in St its global Crop Protection and overall Crop Science headquarters in Monheim as well as many other locations throughout the U.S BASF is more than confident in its ability to cope with the changing industry landscape and be agile and ready to adapt to shifting times who owned a coal gas company in the nearby city of Mannheim very quickly recognizes the opportunities for coal tar But he has bigger ideas — a company that spans the entire production process from raw materials and auxiliaries through precursors and intermediates to dyes He founds a stock corporation in Mannheim under the name Badische Anilin- & Sodafabrik After the planned acquisition of a site in Mannheim falls through the manufacturing facilities are built on the opposite side of the Rhine River in Ludwigshafen BASF has always been proud of its ability to succeed no matter the circumstances and Heldt says this ability will help carry it into the future “We believe size on its own — or just bundling technologies of seed and chemistry for example — is not a recipe for success,” Heldt said and that’s why we’re convinced they enjoy having access to different suppliers and not just three or four on a global scale We have a strong local footprint in all markets and an outstanding pipeline.” BASF’s current crop protection pipeline of innovations has new product candidates from all indications in advanced phases The company estimates that peak sales from crop protection products launched between 2015 and 2025 will total 3 billion euros One example is the company’s latest fungicide Currently under registration by European authorities this compound has shown outstanding biological performance against a range of pathogens as well as a favourable regulatory profile BASF strives to complement its traditional crop protection offerings to provide farmers with new technologies like its new digital farming platform Maglis Maglis is BASF’s most significant accomplishment in the area of digital farming and monitor a range of crop-related data that will result in better decision-making on how to grow and market crops “Everything around seed — protecting seed and improving the value of seed — is very important,” he said including biological seed treatment products Heldt holds up a small jar containing about one kilogram of BASF’s Nodulator product a highly efficient active strain of rhizobium “That one kilogram of product treats 1,000 kilograms of soybean seed,” he said “It shows how our biological products complement conventional chemistry and add value for customers and our portfolio.” Developing solutions derived from the combination of chemical and biological expertise is another important focus of BASF’s growth strategy The company is one of the few that can provide a seed treatment product with a mixture of both biological and chemical compounds which consist of naturally occurring organisms or plant extracts will yield a number of benefits for farmers including the availability of further modes of action that can lead to improved resistance management The recent opening of a new R&D center for biologicals and seed solutions at the division’s headquarters in Limburgerhof will further accelerate the development of new products in these areas BASF expects the agricultural market to remain volatile and the business environment to be challenging the financial goal for the Crop Protection division in 2016 is to strive for the same profitability level it reached in 2015 “Our sales force will be close to our customers supported by the launch of new products and formulations,” said BASF board member Harald Schwager who opened the 2016 Global Press Conference “Changes lead to new opportunities for business growth and differentiation We can look back with pride on BASF’s 100-year legacy of accomplishments in bringing breakthrough solutions for farmers to the market Even more important is to look forward and to be part of an industry-leading team that helps shape and improve the future of modern agriculture.” privacy policy for more information Powered by WP Full Picture PRO Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Global Strategic Marketing Agricultural Solutions has been appointed as Senior Vice President Agricultural Solutions Europe based in Limburgerhof He will succeed Livio Tedeschi (50) who will take over as President of BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division at the same time. “The recent developments in Europe have underlined the vital role of agriculture and famers I see it as our duty to support them with more sustainable agricultural solutions to further strengthen food production and security not only in Europe It is my ambition in my new role as European head of BASF’s agricultural business that we are part of the solution to the current challenges we aspire to help achieve the Farm to Fork strategy and actively shape the transformation towards a more sustainable agri-food system,” says Palerosi Carneiro We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used BASF and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have entered into a scientific collaboration to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from rice production Running by the name “OPTIMA Rice” (Optimizing Management for Reduction of GHG in Rice) the collaboration with IRRI supports BASF’s commitment to enable the reduction of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) emissions by 30 percent per ton of crop produced by 2030 The joint effort is planned for multiple rice seasons in the Philippines and will take place in Laguna where both organizations maintain research centers for rice BASF and IRRI therefore plan to explore multiple topics related to climate smart farming in rice These include direct-seeded rice varieties novel chemistry tailor-made for rice farmers and water-saving technologies such as alternate wetting and drying management (AWD) IRRI has begun further improvements to its ecophysiological model ORYZA to include new computation algorithms for estimating GHG emissions BASF will use its AgBalance™ tool to estimate the GHG emission intensity and will work with IRRI on field tests of their products to obtain high-quality agronomic and GHG data Both BASF and IRRI aim to further develop and apply models for improving scientific understanding on climate mitigation and adaptation options for rice in the Philippines and other rice growing areas in Asia both BASF and IRRI aim to support farmers growing rice in de-carbonizing their production systems “To make the big strides that are needed to reduce carbon emissions in farming we need to evaluate how new technologies and tools can come together for more climate-smart agricultural practices,” said Marko Grozdanovic Senior Vice President Global Marketing at BASF Agricultural Solutions “We partner with IRRI to benefit from their expertise in rice because this major crop has a significant carbon savings potential.” “This collaboration presents immense opportunities for methane and other GHG reductions to create value for farmers and help improve the production of rice in Asia and the Philippines in particular,” said Bas Bouman Research Director and Head of IRRI’s Sustainable Impact Department Protecting crops from disease is essential if we are to sustainably improve yield on existing arable land to feed a growing population How do BASF scientists develop products that are effective and safe for people and the environment Head of Global Regulatory Affairs Fungicides at BASF but many of the plants appear to be on their last legs It’s no wonder – they have all been inoculated with pathogens that cause fungal diseases Principal Scientist Fungicide Chemistry at BASF “We start by screening compounds in the lab and then the greenhouse for activity the next step is to understand how it works,” says Lohmann he and his colleague design and synthesize similar molecules to find the one with the best performance “Our drive throughout was the desire to support farmers in growing food in a better way,” says Dust “Seeing Revysol become such a success has been very rewarding.” Automated testing in the prescreening lab enables scientists to test up to 100,000 substances a year substances are then tested on plants in the greenhouse The results indicate the direction that further research should take Twenty different types of plants grow in the greenhouse The plants are treated with candidates for new fungicides and inoculated with various pathogens they are monitored to see which products work and which do not.Rusts blights: Some of the most common fungi that affect crops worldwide are cultivated at the BASF greenhouses for test purposes The fungus seen here is Cercospora zeae-maydis one of the world’s main crops.Best conditions: Young plants are treated with a candidate fungicide and inoculated with a pathogen then placed in a chamber in the greenhouse with the ideal climate for the pathogen to grow They are monitored daily to see which is winning – the candidate fungicide or the pathogen.Global problem: Candidate fungicides must prove themselves against common fungal diseases such as Septoria tritici in wheat this grows particularly in wet and warm conditions and can devastate harvests.What makes Revysol so special is that it controls many different fungal pathogens even where mutations have developed.”Klaas Lohmann and BASF have announced a research collaboration to detect diseases and resistances in plants leveraging Ontera’s molecular diagnostic platform The platform analyzes and quantifies multiple characteristics in less than 20 minutes enabling farmers to address potential yield issues and threats to their harvest before they take hold The collaboration between BASF and Ontera has the potential to provide farmers with easy-to-use laboratory-quality molecular information in the field to enable early more precise treatment of plant diseases and ensure healthy “Innovative diagnostic technology to catch threats to yield and quality early on is vital for modern sustainable agriculture,” said Jürgen Huff Senior Vice President Research and Development Crop Protection from BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division “Our customers are professionals who expect innovation at the highest standards and Ontera’s platform is a great complement to the strong innovation portfolio of BASF It provides farmers with critical information needed to save crops reduce losses and optimize pesticide application.” Ontera’s platform uses silicon nanopore single-molecule sensors for multi-plex measurement of nucleic acids Lightweight and durable enough to be used in the field it produces a quantitative analysis of traits pathogens and pathogen resistance in just minutes avoiding time-consuming laboratory procedures that make in-season targeted application of crop protection products difficult “This collaboration is an excellent example of how Ontera is democratizing precision diagnostics to create a more sustainable planet,” said Murielle Thinard-McLane “We share BASF’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and by applying innovative thinking to real-world farming challenges we can improve access to high quality foods in an environmentally healthy way all while increasing the productivity and predictability of harvests.” Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed About BASF’s Agricultural Solutions division