Innovative Solutions for Sustainable Agriculture
Why Crop Protection Matters
Weeds, diseases, and pests threaten crop health and yields worldwide, causing losses of up to 30%. Over half a billion tons of food annually, enough to feed more than 2 billion people. With climate change increasing these pressures, effective crop protection is vital to safeguard yields, increase productivity, protect ecosystems, and ultimately secure food supply for a growing world Population.
Modern crop protection integrates chemical, biological, and digital innovations to help farmers use resources efficiently, manage resistance, and reduce environmental impact while promoting healthy soils and biodiversity. We believe that a world with “Health for all, Hunger for None” is possible. As a global leader in health and agriculture, we support farmers with innovations that help them bring high-quality, nutritious, and diverse food to millions of people every day — and modern crop protection is an essential part of achieving this mission.
Weed Management: Integrated Weed Management for Sustainable Control
Weeds compete directly with crops for sunlight, water, and nutrients, making effective control essential to securing yields. Longterm use of certain herbicides has led to resistant weed populations, making new solutions inevitable. Bayer’s Integrated Weed Management (IWM) approach combines diverse strategies to sustainably suppress weeds while preserving soil health.
A Holistic Approach: Combining Chemical and Crop Management Methods
Chemical herbicides remain a cornerstone of weed control. Bayer develops innovative herbicides with new modes of action designed to minimize resistance and environmental impact. However, chemicals alone are not enough. IWM incorporates crop rotation, cover cropping, and strategic tillage to disrupt weed life cycles and improve soil conditions. These cultural practices reduce weed pressure and improve the effectiveness of herbicides.
Research Driving Innovation
Ongoing research at Bayer focuses on discovering new herbicide chemistries and sustainable application techniques. Managing resistant weeds requires continual innovation to stay ahead of evolving challenges and ensure long-term crop protection. With its pipeline blockbuster Icafolin-methyl, Bayer designs the first novel mode of action to control emerged weeds in over 30 years with the highest safety and sustainability criteria.
Precision Agriculture and Digital Tools
Technology enhances IWM by enabling precise weed mapping and targeted herbicide application. GPS-guided sprayers, drone imaging, and AI-powered detection systems help farmers identify weed hotspots and apply treatments only where needed. This reduces chemical use, lowers costs, and minimizes off-target effects. Digital platforms provide data-driven insights to optimize weed control timing and methods tailored to local conditions.
Bayer’s FieldView™ platform enables farmers to collect, store, and analyze field data for better decisions. Partnering with Microsoft’s Azure Data Manager for Agriculture improves data interoperability and scaling of digital tools globally.
Disease Management: Early Detection and Sustainable Solutions
Crop diseases reduce yields and quality by attacking roots, leaves, and fruits. Through a combination of scientific innovations, technology, and products, Bayer offers farmers innovative solutions to not only spot disease early but prevent outbreaks and efficiently manage chemical inputs.
Advanced Monitoring Technologies
Bayer leverages AI, machine learning, drones, and satellite imagery to monitor fields for early signs of disease stress. These technologies detect subtle changes invisible to the naked eye, enabling farmers to intervene before diseases spread. Predictive models guide treatment decisions, reducing unnecessary fungicide applications.
Biological and Chemical Control Options
Bayer combines beneficial fungi and bacteria with targeted fungicides for sustainable disease control., while nitrogen-fixing microbes cut fertilizer needs and emissions. These solutions expand farmers’ tools when integrated with precise chemical applications.
Resistant and Sustainable Crop Innovations
Genetic resistance is a powerful line of defense. For centuries, plant breeding has selected varieties naturally resistant to diseases, and today biotechnology allows precise and rapid introduction of beneficial traits or editing a plant’s own genome to achieve protection. Landmark examples like the Rainbow Papaya demonstrate how disease-resistant crops can safeguard yields. Bayer combines advanced breeding and biotechnology to deliver crops with built-in resistance, improved performance, and sustainability benefits.
Insect Management: Balancing Pest Control with Pollinator Protection
Insects play critical roles in agriculture — some cause crop damage, while others, like bees, are essential pollinators. Effective insect management requires targeted control methods that protect beneficial species and ecosystems.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
Bayer promotes IPM strategies combining field monitoring, crop rotation, habitat management, and selective use of chemical and biological insecticides. Early pest detection through scouting enables precise treatment, reducing unnecessary applications. Enhancing natural predator habitats supports biological control of pests.
Insecticides: A Versatile Tool for Farmers
Farmers have a variety of insecticides to choose from when combating harmful insects. Some products are highly specific, targeting a single pest species, while others offer broad-spectrum protection. At Bayer we have pioneered insecticide innovation and are committed to design resistance-breaking molecules that are safe and minimize environmental impact. Precision application techniques and integrated monitoring help ensure treatments are effective while preserving beneficial insects.
Biotechnology: Protecting Crops from Within
Another approach to insect management focuses on protecting plants from within by leveraging their own DNA. Insect-resistant traits in genetically modified crops - often using the naturally occurring soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) - allow plants to produce proteins toxic to certain insect larvae. Bt proteins have been used for decades in conventional and organic farming as safe and effective sprays. Bt crops extend this protection by producing the proteins within the plant, reducing or even eliminating the need for topical insecticide applications. This targeted approach means only insects feeding on the crop are affected, safeguarding beneficial species in the ecosystem.
Driving the Future of Crop Protection
The convergence of advances in life sciences, new digital technologies, and data science is fundamentally transforming innovation in crop protection. This allows farmers to respond quickly and safely to emerging threats, securing crop health and productivity for the long term.
Using target-based and profile-driven discovery, Bayer is designing entirely new crop protection chemistry solutions that set new standards in precision, safety, sustainability, and efficacy. In this approach, researchers first identify key proteins in pests (target-based) and then design molecules that are optimized from the outset to meet strict safety, sustainability, and performance criteria (profile-driven). This innovative approach is called CropKey™.
This AI-powered discovery platform accelerates identification and development of new CP solutions by precisely targeting pest and weed vulnerabilities at molecular level. By leveraging advanced computational modeling and predictive analytics, CropKey™ enables faster, more precise innovation across all indications.
With CropKey™, Bayer is redefining crop protection by designing entirely new molecules that precisely target key proteins in weeds, fungi, and insect pests. This approach not only enhances efficacy and resistance management but also prioritizes safety, sustainability, and environmental protection, giving farmers innovative tools to safeguard their crops, ensure global food security, and support sustainable farming practices.