Bayer has invested roughly EUR 45 million in the construction of an approximately 11,000 m2 greenhouse at its Monheim site in Germany. Next to the greenhouse, a 1,200 m2 laboratory and a 870 m2 office building for insecticide research will be built. The construction of the greenhouse is Bayer’s largest single project in Monheim in an investment program that has totaled around EUR 170 million over the past six years.
Farmers across the world are increasingly facing new pest infestations and mounting resistance to currently available insecticides. Furthermore, tighter regulations result in higher entry barriers for new insecticidal solutions.
In the greenhouse 60 employees will cultivate and test over 30 different crop species and over 40 in some cases exotic pests and beneficial organisms. The highest biosafety and hygiene standards will ensure work can be carried out on these organisms as well as on transgenic plants and new breeds of plants. The greenhouse consists of 133 compartments, in which a wide variety of climate conditions can be individually replicated, such as temperature, humidity, length of day, temperature curves, and air filtration. This will allow experiments to be conducted under realistic conditions. It will be possible to conduct parallel studies on native and exotic crops using active ingredients currently in development and alternative technologies such as biological crop protection, plant breeding, and beneficial-compatible combination strategies.
- Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany
