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BASF introduces AgCelenceTM, the plant health brand identity, in Brazil


WEBWIRE

BASF on June 22 introduced its new brand identity AgCelenceTM in Brazil. AgCelence products offer growers yield and quality benefits in addition to disease and insect control. In Brazil, several BASF products for crops ranging from soybeans over sugar cane to coffee beans will now be marketed as part of the AgCelence family.

The announcement was made at the company’s Top Ciência research symposium in Sao Paulo, where a group of more than 125 scientists and 90 growers came to discuss the latest results from BASF and independent plant health research institutes. The latter were invited to submit their findings and qualify for this year’s prestigious Top Ciência Award.

BASF’s ultimate goal with AgCelence is to help growers earn more per hectar and meet the growing demand for agricultural raw materials. To achieve this goal, BASF two years ago made an increase in its global plant health research and development outlays. At the same time, it bundled its plant health research and marketing activities globally.

“We are making a substantial investment in this exciting new field,” said Annette Freund, head of plant health marketing at BASF’s Agricultural Products division. Grower response to our products with yield and quality benefits has been enormous. Moving forward, we will be extending our portfolio to new active ingredients and new crops.”

At the Top Ciência symposium, plant health research head Dirk Voeste described the benefits of AgCelence products: higher growth performance and improved tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress help plants to reach their yield and quality potential. BASF’s plant health researchers are digging deeper to understand how innovative chemistry works in the plant to influence these parameters.

BASF’s plant health research currently has three areas of focus. To begin with, scientists in Voeste’s team are working to identify additional active ingredients with yield and quality boosting benefits and formulating them to best utilize these effects. For example, BASF is now helping growers improve yield and quality with products containing the fungicide boscalid and the insecticide fipronil.

A second area of focus is extending BASF’s AgCelence portfolio to new crops. Fresh results show significant benefits in specialty crops such as coffee and tomatoes, which ripen more uniformly, allowing a significantly greater share of the harvest to be marketed.

The third area of focus of BASF’s Plant Health research team is the translation of results from lab and field trial work into hands-on recommendations for growers. For example, a series of field trials conducted in the United States last year is allowing BASF to advise growers on parameters such as application timing, varieties and geography. This enables growers to obtain the maximum benefit and thus further increase the financial return from their crops.

Walter Dissinger, head of BASF’s crop protection business in Latin America, stressed the importance of technologies such as F500® and fipronil to help growers meet rapidly increasing demand for key crops, both for bioethanol and biodiesel, as well as for export markets: “The growing demand for ethanol and biodiesel necessitates an increase in production, and technology is helping make that happen today. BASF is and will continue to be at the forefront of this new area of scientific discovery.”

The third annual Top Ciência Award went to nine scientific papers, divided into three categories: productivity, quality and plant physiology. A total of 144 scientific papers were submitted and evaluated by a panel of experts. On the panel were three renowned researchers in the field of plant physiology in Brazil and two BASF scientists.

With sales of €3,079 million in 2006, BASF’s Agricultural Products division is a leader in crop protection and a strong partner to the farming industry providing well-established and innovative fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Farmers use these products and services to improve crop yields and crop quality. Other uses include public health, structural/urban pest control, turf and ornamental plants, vegetation management, and forestry. BASF aims to turn knowledge rapidly into market success. The vision of BASF’s Agricultural Products division is to be the world’s leading innovator, optimizing agricultural production, improving nutrition, and thus enhancing the quality of life for a growing world population. Further information can be found on the web at www.agro.basf.com.


BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. As a reliable partner to virtually all industries, BASF’s high-value products and intelligent system solutions help its customers to be more successful. BASF develops new technologies and uses them to meet the challenges of the future and open up additional market opportunities. It combines economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility, thus contributing to a better future. BASF has approximately 95,000 employees and posted sales of €52.6 billion (approximately $66.1 billion) in 2006. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com



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