Crop Protection - Overview

Best in its class

With its four business units insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and seed treatment, Crop Protection is well equipped to fulfill the needs of Australian growers so that they can continue to grow healthier crops more efficiently and more sustainably.

Insect control

Bayer CropScience is the world's leading insecticide company. The insecticides portfolio is composed of 35 active ingredients, the top five being imidacloprid (Confidor®, Gaucho®, Premise®), aldicarb (Temik®), deltamethrin (Decis®), and methamidofos (Tamaron®). These products contribute 45% of total turnover in the foliar and soil insecticide businesses. Imidacloprid and deltamethrin are also significant contributors to the success of the seed treatment and Environmental Science businesses.

The key objectives are to lead market innovation by anticipating the future needs of customers and stakeholders and to maintain core commercial products by implementation of world-class stewardship and lifecycle management programs, in line with the strict safe use, product stewardship and environmental protection policies of Bayer CropScience. Globally, Bayer CropScience also has a rich research and development pipeline, including the introduction of nine active ingredients and a crop safener between 2008 and 2012 and a further nine pesticides due for launch between 2013 and 2015.

Weed control

Bayer CropScience's herbicide product range is well diversified across crops, regions and market segments. The top five active ingredients are fenoxaprop (Puma®), glufosinate (Basta®, Liberty®), bromoxynil (Buctril®), isoxaflutole (Balance®), and desmedipham/phenmedipham (the “Betanal® family” for sugar beet). Three new active ingredients – mesosulfuron (mesomaxx®, Atlantis®), propoxycarbazone (Attribut®), and foramsulfuron (MaisTer®) – have now reached the market and will further strengthen the company’s leading position in cereal herbicides and its emerging position in corn.

The herbicide research pipeline is rated as the most fertile in the industry. The target to introduce one new active ingredient per year is challenging but realistic. Classical research is optimally complemented by new activities in biotechnology and safener discovery and development. Safeners are additives that accentuate the fine differentiation between crops and weeds by boosting herbicide selectivity through improved crop safety.

Disease control

Bayer CropScience is one of the leading fungicide producing companies in the world. The global fungicide portfolio comprises 25 active ingredients. The top five are tebuconazole (Folicur®), trifloxystrobin (Flint®), fosetyl-Al (Aliette®), iprodione (Rovral®) and propineb (Antracol®).

Bayer CropScience provides a wide range of fungicides, both innovative and proven, whose different modes of action offer customers tailor-made solutions for a broad range of conditions and needs.

The Seed Treatment Application Center (Monheim) provides both country organizations and customers with expert application and machinery support. Based near Paris, France, another Bayer company unit named Cérès provides mainly sugar beet seed companies with a pelleting and toll formulation service and specialist application technology support for the seed treatment products.

The key products are the insecticide imidacloprid (Gaucho®) and the fungicides tebuconazole (Raxil®), triadimenol (Baytan®) and fluquinconazole (Jockey®). A true innovation has been the advent of imidacloprid + tebuconazole (Hombre®) and imidacloprid + triadimenol (Zorro®) which gives protection from a range of cereal diseases and aphids in the one convenient formulation. Imidacloprid + thiodicarb (Amparo®) is a seed treatment for the cotton industry and provides early season thrips and aphid control. Novel fungicides and insecticides are in the development pipeline and will provide the basis for continued business growth.

Seed treatment

The Bayer CropScience seed treatment portfolio covers more than 15 active ingredients. Special focus is given to the coordination of the global relationships between Bayer CropScience and the major seed companies which are key customers for the seed treatment products.

The key products are the insecticide imidacloprid (Gaucho®) and the fungicides tebuconazole (Raxil®), triadimenol (Baytan®) and fluquinconazole (Jockey®). A recent innovation has been the advent of imidacloprid + tebuconazole (Hombre®) and imidacloprid + triadimenol (Zorro®) which gives protection from a range of cereal diseases and aphids in the one convenient formulation. Imidacloprid + thiodicarb (Amparo®) is a new seed treatment for the cotton industry and provides early season thrips and aphid control. Novel fungicides and insecticides are in the development pipeline and will provide the basis for continued business growth.