Research and  Development In order to address grower needs holistically,  we must continue to build on our strengths  and deliver quality seeds and novel active  ingredients while enabling the development  of grower-centric solutions that integrate our  technologies. Our Research and Development  (R&D) organization is designed to do this in an  efficient way, and we are building the capabilities  and culture to ensure effective collaboration  both within and outside Syngenta. In 2011, we invested over US$ 1 billion in R&D.  Our global network of R&D centers maintains  strong development pipelines for each of our  major crops (see pages 20–31). New chemical products include isopyrazam  and sedaxane, two fungicidal active ingredients  with a novel mode of action (SDHI). Isopyrazam,  launched in 2010 in barley in the UK and now  registered in several countries, is a foliar broad  spectrum fungicide that protects against  Septoria tritici  in cereals. Sedaxane, launched  this year in Argentina as VIBRANCE ™ , is a broad  spectrum fungicide specifically designed for use  as a seed treatment to protect crops against  difficult-to-control diseases including  Rhizoctonia .  Sedaxane protects and enhances the plant’s  emerging root system, leading to strong plant  establishment and improved crop performance.  It won a 2011 Agrow award for best new crop  protection product.  Taking innovation to the cutting edge, we are  accelerating plant breeding programs by using  computer-assisted modeling. For example,  by modeling desirable characteristics of  sunflowers, we found out that plants with larger  leaves near the flower produced more oil. This  technique has enabled us to faster develop  other higher-performing hybrids. One fast-growing market where we are  ensuring we maximize plant potential is biofuels.  In 2011, we launched the first corn output trait,  ENOGEN ® . This trait produces an enzyme –  corn amylase – that helps increase ethanol yield  during the production process, in addition to  reducing the CO 2 footprint and water and  energy consumption. Improving plant performance under  environmental stress is a key area of focus for  R&D, and we are addressing this in a number of  ways. Our corn native trait solution, AGRISURE ® ARTESIAN ™ , is the first water optimization trait to  reach the market. It enables plants to grow  better under water stress and without yield loss  under normal conditions. In cereals, a chemistry  solution, MODDUS ®  – part of our crop  enhancement offer – improves root mass and  root length, helping the plant improve water and  nitrogen use efficiency by around 10 percent.  Such crop enhancement chemistries will also  be used to help plants overcome stress in a  broad spectrum of specialty crops. We also  have solutions in our Lawn and Garden  business with the plant growth regulator PRIMO  MAXX ® , which improves turf grass appearance  and reduces stress under drought conditions. Delivering innovative chemistries and seeds External  recognition Syngenta Fellow John  Clough (left) won the 2011  Creativity in Industry Prize  from the UK’s Royal  Society of Chemistry, and  Peter Maienfisch (right)  received the Medal of the  Slovak Chemical Society. Thewaywework More online www.syngenta.com/ar2011 33 Syngenta Annual Review 2011