NEWARK, DEL. — DuPont Pioneer said it plans to build a $35 million soybean research facility at its Stine Haskell Research Center in Newark. The 134,000-square-foot plant will include two automated greenhouses and is expected to be completed in 2016, with room for future expansion.

“The new DuPont Pioneer Delaware soybean research facility will advance our research and development pipeline and enhance the value of Pioneer brand soybean varieties for our grower customers by protecting yield and increasing oil and protein content,” said Neal Gutterson, vice-president of agricultural biotechnology, DuPont Pioneer. “This research is an important part of the DuPont strategic focus on agriculture and nutrition against the backdrop of an increasing world population and demand for more food.”

DuPont Pioneer said the soybean research facility is located near its agricultural biotechnology trait research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Del. The new facility will be home to experts in advanced genetic discovery to develop and test the newest products and traits in the company’s growing research and development pipeline. The new, automated greenhouses include a soybean plant movement system that will increase research efficiency, DuPont Pioneer said. Built with sustainability in mind, the greenhouses will feature three 60,000 gallon rain water cisterns to harvest, filter and re-use run-off.