Syngenta Vegetable Seeds has unveiled a new R&D Technology Center in El Ejido, in the heart of Spain’s Almería greenhouse region, as part of a major push to tackle emerging plant pathogens threatening global food production.
The state-of-the-art facility is designed to speed up the development of disease-resistant vegetable crops while cutting traditional breeding timelines. It sits within a broader Innovation Center footprint in El Ejido and focuses on fruiting vegetable crops critical to global supply chains.
“New pathogens are emerging at an unprecedented rate, affecting growers around the world,” said Matthew Johnston, Global Head of Syngenta's Vegetable Seeds business.
“It’s essential to deliver strong, resistant seeds to protect crops and growers’ livelihoods. This investment further reinforces our commitment to support growers with innovation and bring solutions to help protect their crops - not only in Spain - but across the globe."
At the core of the new center is a “field-to-lab” model that shifts diagnostics directly into growers’ fields, rather than relying solely on laboratory analysis. The approach is designed to keep real-world farming conditions at the center of research, with scientists working closer than ever to the environments where crop diseases emerge.
The facility integrates breeding, seed operations, trait development, fruit quality research, applied data science, and digital innovation under one roof. It also includes advanced biosafety infrastructure, allowing researchers to safely study emerging threats in controlled, quarantined conditions while maintaining strict plant health standards.
“As part of a global network of Innovation Centers, this site is one of the best examples in demonstrating the close connection between our breeders and the growers who rely on our product performance, quality and availability to secure their production needs,” said Uri Krieger, Global Head of R&D for Syngenta Vegetable Seeds.
“The work we do here year-round with a team of incredible scientists not only supports growers in Spain but all around the world, as we share insights and data with R&D teams strategically located in every major growing region."
The center officially opened on May 14, in the presence of Spain’s Minister of Agriculture Luis Planas and around 100 invited guests, offering a rare look inside the biosafety-controlled research environment.
The investment underscores the strategic importance of southern Spain’s Almería region, one of the world’s largest vegetable production hubs. With more than 30,000 hectares of greenhouses producing nearly 4 million tons of vegetables annually, the region has become a critical testing ground for agricultural innovation.
