[Scene opens with a shot of soybean field. Text overlaid “Crop Canopy Index”. Guitar music plays in the background. Scene switches to Eric Richter (Agronomic Service Manager) standing in a soybean field speaking to the camera.]
ERIC: Hello, my name is Eric Richter Agronomic Service Manager for Syngenta, Canada. And today I'd like to talk with you about a new concept that we're launching in our Soymasters site. It's called Canopy Index. We've launched a series of videos previously to help growers grow a better crop and we focused on things like stand establishment, stand assessment techniques. Plus a focus on our Population Matrix which was a tool to help growers select the right variety, looking at the productivity environment - whether it was a high, mid or low, and also the soil type: clay, loam, and sand. And dial-in what would really be the optimum or targeted population they should use to maximize yield. So as I mentioned today, I'd like to talk with you about Canopy Index. Canopy Index is a numerical value that is indicative of taking three components in terms of the plant architecture and plant growth habits and putting them into one value. 
[Scene switches to a shot of the top of soybean plants with text overlaid “HEIGHT”. Text switches to “PLANT ARCHITECTURE/SHAPE”. Text switches to “BRANCHING INTENSITY”. Scene switches back to Eric standing in the field speaking to the camera. Guitar music plays quietly in the background.]
ERIC: The three components are plant height, essentially the width or plant architecture or the shape of the of that variety, and the third one is branching intensity. We've given a value to each one of those components we put them into an equation and then we calculate a numerical value that indicates what we'll call the canopy index. So why is this important for a grower and helping them grow a better crop of soybeans? 
[Scene switches between shots of rows of soybean plants, a zooming out shot between soybean rows, and back to Eric standing in the field speaking to the camera between each. Guitar music plays quietly in the background.]
ERIC: We all know that we need to close canopy to maximize yield. The earlier we close the canopy ultimately, the higher soybean yields will be. We intercept sunshine and produce bushels of beans. But not all varieties are created equal. They say with the canopy index and the three components: height, shape and branching intensity, we can have very different varieties respond in very different ways. So I'll show you some of the extremes in plant type and differences in Canopy Index. 
[Scene switches to shot of Eric holding two varieties of NK soybeans that demonstrate different canopy index scores.]
So I've got here two examples of Soybean, NK soybean varieties that are very different for canopy index. In my left hand I've got a variety that's relatively speaking fairly tall but it is narrow in stature, thin line. And it does not have a very high branching intensity. This variety on a scale from 1 to 9 would receive a rating in around 2 or 3. Again a very different looking plant, than the plant I hold in my right hand now. This variety again a little bit shorter but you'll notice that it has much wider shape and what's it also key is this branching intensity. You can see the multiple branches that are coming off. So this variety would score much higher. For example, it would be a six or seven on this canopy index value. So again in summary, why is this important? We're trying to help growers understand the uniqueness and each one of our NK brand soybean varieties. Whether they be conventional, Roundup Ready, Roundup Ready Extend. Helping them plant the right population, close that canopy as quickly as possible, and maximize yield, and grow the best possible crop of soybean. 
[Scene switches to white with text overlay “For more information, visit Syngenta.ca, contact our Customer Interaction Centre at 1-87-SYNGENTA (1-877-964-3682), or follow @SyngetaCanada on Twitter. Guitar music continues playing in the background.]