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Syngenta unveils $70M greenhouse
At Research Triangle Park, another giant greenhouse is ready for action.
Syngenta, a Swiss agrobiotech that arrived at the park in 1984, has pumped more than $70 million into its new greenhouse lab. On May 14, we got an exclusive tour at what Syngenta executives are touting as one of the most advanced crop labs in the country.
It’s a 136,000-square-foot structure built with a special frosted glass that makes it so bright you need to don sunglasses – and sunscreen.
“It’s brighter than bright,” says site lead Bill Hlavic, explaining that the glass mix evenly distributes light from the outside, displaying the full spectrum, making the greenhouse appear brighter than the surrounding park. And he’s right, evidenced by the way the sunflowers, which turn toward the brightest light, face every direction.
In technical terms, that glass transmits 92 percent of the light. Compare that to percentages in the 80s with typical glass. And the structure has been carefully planned, from the height of the grow spaces, (tall enough to accommodate full-grown sugar cane) to the green light emitting from the exit signs.
“Plants can’t ‘see’ green light,” Hlavic explains. When the lights go out and the plants need to be in complete darkness, the green illumination that helps the scientists traverse the carefully controlled plants isn’t in the plant’s spectrum.
The greenhouse can be set to custom temperatures and humidity levels. Specific nutrient recipes can be concocted for specific plants. Below the sunlit level is a basement with what appears to be refrigeration units for more greenery – but, while they may give off the walk-in cooler vibe, the units can carefully control everything about a plant, from light to water level. Additionally, they can monitor what comes out, including carbon dioxide levels.
But why does Syngenta need such particular controls?
To mimic climates worldwide, says company spokesman Steve Goldsmith.
It’s also about an underlying cause that Hlavic can’t talk about enough – the fight against hunger.
It’s more than business, he says; it’s morality. As water resources become more scarce, humans have to get creative, figuring out ways to get plants to grow in arid environments. By controlling water, temperature and humidity levels, Syngenta can test its technology and push forward into the battle for new ways to grow food.
While debate rages about the safety of genetically modified produce, the conversation at Syngenta is also one of safety, says Goldsmith, who points out that Syngenta’s genetically modified crops must undergo at least 80 tests before approval.
Hlavic, for one, doesn’t expect the ribbon cutting for the greenhouse to be the last for Syngenta here. “We’re always thinking about what our options are in the future,” he says. “This is all we’ve gotten approval for at this point, but the local team would like to do more.”
Lauren Ohnesorge covers information technology and entrepreneurship.
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