From selection to design: Bayer celebrates 40 years of innovation in Tlajomulco

In a global context that anticipates the need to feed 10 billion people by 2050 and with the urgent need to increase global food production by between 60% and 70%, according to the FAO, the Bayer Research and Development Center in Tlajomulco, Jalisco, is celebrating four decades of operation. This site, which has evolved from a local experimental center to an international benchmark, today stands as a bastion of agricultural innovation in the face of the challenges of climate change and resource scarcity.

From its 150 hectares of testing grounds, its state-of-the-art laboratories, and the work of more than 200 collaborators, the center processes more than 1.2 million samples annually and sends research materials to more than 30 countries. This anniversary also serves to highlight the crucial role Mexico plays in global food security.

From needle in a haystack to genetic design

In an interview with El Economista, Humberto Gutiérrez Gaytán, head of seed production for research and development for northern Latin America at Bayer, explains that a fundamental paradigm shift that defines Tlajomulco's trajectory is the transition from selecting to designing seeds.

In the past, the breeding process was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Breeders planted thousands of plants, waited for the crop cycles, and then manually selected the best ones in the field based on visible characteristics such as yield or plant height. It was a slow process that depended on what nature provided.

Today, science and technology have reversed the process. As emphasized during the plant tour, "Now we're going to design the needle for what we want." Research focuses on genetic design from the start.

"A parent is no longer selected; a region of the corn genome is selected. That's why we talk about design, not just selection. Selection remains part of the process, but from the beginning, there is a product design," the spokesperson explained during the tour.

He adds that the center uses cutting-edge technology, including exclusive seed analysis equipment in Mexico that allows for the identification of unique characteristics before planting. This, along with global collaboration for genetic mapping, ensures that only "high-value seed"—those known in advance to provide an advantage—make it to the planting stage. This approach not only accelerates development (reducing to two harvest cycles what previously took eight, for example, to generate parent stock) but also optimizes the use of resources.

VITALA, your response to the climate challenge

The pinnacle innovation born in Tlajomulco is VITALA (known globally as the Preceon Smart Corn System), the first intelligent agronomic system for corn production. Its cornerstone is the introduction of short-stature hybrids (up to one meter shorter than conventional ones).

This pioneering corn allows for: Higher planting density by maximizing soil use, doubling the density in regions like Sinaloa; Climate resilience, thanks to its compact architecture that offers resistance to strong winds and extreme conditions, while its deeper roots improve tolerance to water stress, "a benefit that farmers discovered and that wasn't initially the focus of the design," shares Jaime Elizarraras, Bayer's product development leader for Northern Latin America.

In addition to higher yields and a smaller footprint, because it increases yield per hectare while reducing environmental impact, Gutiérrez Gaytán shares that management decisions are driven by data science through the FieldView digital platform, allowing for precise control of inputs such as seeds, water, and nutrients, in line with the needs of more efficient and sustainable agriculture.

The central role of data science

The research team for Mexico and Central America commented to this newspaper about the future challenges and the center's global positioning. Both leaders agreed that the greatest challenge for the next generation of scientists in the field is the integration of data understanding across all disciplines.

Gutiérrez Gaytán asserts that "research today has the capacity to store an incredible amount of data. What we need is agronomy, data understanding; biotechnology, data understanding. There will be more disciplines, but all of them must have a data understanding component."

Elizarraras added that the information generated in Mexico is shared and used by breeders in other countries, since "corn is corn," which optimizes the global database.

Finally, they assert that Jalisco's geographic and climatic success has allowed the center to transcend its initial local purpose. "Currently, (this plant) supports more than 30 countries worldwide," Elizarraras reiterates.

Gutiérrez Gaytán emphasized his pride in the world-class technology at Tlajomulco, including equipment developed by the company for the production of parental lines unique to Mexico. More than 12 scientific disciplines (Agronomy, Biotechnology, Engineering in its various branches, etc.) converge at the center, creating a "richness of disciplines" that fuels innovation.

Tour through the heart of technological development

To mark the 40th anniversary, a tour was conducted that demonstrated the application of data science at every stage of the process. From the laboratory to the field, 13 million controlled (manual) pollinations are performed annually, and 70 million individual seeds are selected. The technology allows the best seeds to be identified and selected before planting.

Then comes the evaluation technology. Here, the technology team uses drones with high-precision sensors to measure plant height and capture images that are converted into quality data.

Finally, precision mechanization, where seeders and harvesters, powered by Bayer technology, automate the recording of agronomic variables such as weight and test weight. All information is uploaded to the cloud for analysis by breeders.

For Bayer officials, the technology and accelerated genetic design approach essentially allow the Tlajomulco center to "move quickly and, more importantly, move in the right direction: genetic gain, which translates into more tons per hectare to ensure the food supply for future society."