Syngenta launches solution to protect crops against all types of stresses 

Quantis is the name of a new product launched by the Swiss agricultural input company Syngenta. Based on yeast fermentation, it has a dual function: on the one hand, it is a source of secondary metabolites with a protective biostimulant action against abiotic stress; and, on the other hand, it is a prebiotic that activates the plant's defensive systems due to the presence of chemically recognized substances.

The company explains that this dual mode of action is essential to combat all types of stress suffered by crops, whether cold, heat, drought, water salinity, etc., or oxidative and osmotic stress, or even possible cell damage and growth problems. In these cases, plants lose their vitality and growth capacity, the mechanisms for their own protection against diseases fail and, in short, their productive potential declines.

Quantis is able to activate and regulate the proper functioning of the genes involved in the protection against plant stress. Thus, on the one hand, genes that manage vital processes such as osmoprotection, detoxification and photosynthesis are activated; and, on the other hand, the production of metabolites for the protection of nucleotides and proteins, the protection of cell membranes and the appearance of antioxidants and osmoprotectants to block the stress response are boosted. "Consequently, we achieve the maintenance of photosynthetic capacity; the stabilization of cell membranes and the reduction of plant temperature, delaying senescence," they explain in a statement.

The natural shield that Quantis offers against crop stress and its prebiotic effects have a clear effect on the improvement of plant health and growth and on the final results of the harvest. Thus, in trials conducted by Syngenta in various crops, such as corn, it has been seen that the application of Quantis achieves a greener crop, with better grain quality and higher yields in drought conditions, clearly reducing water stress. Also in wheat, it increases yield, delays senescence and increases grain filling time.