From “What If?” to “Here’s How”: The Power of Precision Breeding

What if we could design the crops farmers need to meet their specific growing conditions and challenges? And what if it could be done within a few seasons, instead of decades? At Bayer, we’re making this happen… and more.

Introducing Precision Breeding, a new approach to developing seeds with highly specific characteristics. We’re taking farmer insights enhanced by real-time and historical field and weather data and deploying artificial intelligence to mine the depths of our germplasm library—the largest in the world—to design seeds that are more likely to succeed in a variety of field conditions. This innovative approach represents one of the most transformational changes in the history of plant breeding, and one capable of meeting the evolving needs of growers and the planet.

How can Precision Breeding turn our aspirational “what ifs” into reality?

What if we could activate a plant’s natural defense mechanisms to overcome emerging threats?

Our rapidly changing climate places extraordinary stress on plants. Faced with a variety of challenges from pests, diseases and weather, plants must activate their innate defense mechanisms to overcome these threats and absorb the nutrients needed to reach harvest. Precision Breeding allows us to enhance these natural defenses, better preparing crop varieties to perform in differing and future-ready global environments. By delivering advantages such as drought-resistant genes, optimal leaf size and deeper, more nutrient-absorbent roots, Precision Breeding is the ally farmers need to preserve their yields.

What if we could help farmers harvest more crops from every acre using fewer resources?

Precision Breeding will play a crucial role in reducing the environmental impact of agriculture. With crops more suited to their environment, growers can significantly reduce the use of water, crop protection, fertilizers and other resources. Working in concert with precision agriculture, new digital applications and best management practices, Precision Breeding will be a key component of our drive to grow more food on less land, protect biodiversity and reduce agriculture’s carbon footprint.

What if we could design a seed to meet the specific needs of every farm?

With decades of experience working the land, growers know their fields like the back of their hands. And when they come to us with new or persistent challenges specific to their fields or crops, our Precision Breeding process will help us provide solutions faster than ever before. With the backing of a powerful Digital AI assistant, we can quickly pull information from among hundreds of trial sites in 15 countries to identify the ideal seed trait combinations within the industry’s broadest germplasm library. By bringing these human and technological insights together, we can more quickly and efficiently develop seeds that address growers’ unique soil and environmental needs.

Breeding a Brighter Future for Agriculture

In many ways, Precision Breeding empowers us to design the future of agriculture. By bringing together in-field and digital expertise, we have an unprecedented opportunity to enhance our innovation engine and continue to lead impactful change for growers, the planet and everyone they serve. Precision Breeding is just one way we will continue to deploy our scale, reach and expertise to realize sustainable, game-changing solutions.