InnerPlant, John Deere and Syngenta will develop a product to combat fungi in soybeans

InnerPlant, Syngenta and John Deere announced a joint effort to develop an integrated product to combat fungi in soybeans. The idea is to connect plants that emit early and specific signals when under fungal attack with optimized crop protection treatments. No details were provided about the business itself, nor about development stages.

“Fungal diseases are a huge and growing problem facing farmers who already face great risks in their operations,” explains Shely Aronov, CEO and co-founder of InnerPlant.

“A solution that directly links signals from plants’ physiological responses to the individualized and precise delivery of optimized inputs will make farmers’ lives easier, providing greater effectiveness and efficiency.”

Globally, crops are attacked by fungal diseases that result in substantial yield losses. And the problem is getting worse, according to experts who cite climate change and growing resistance to common fungicides as contributing to the rapid rise in fungal attacks that threaten the world's food supply and a "global health catastrophe."

“InnerPlant’s technology enables the earliest possible detection of plant diseases, identifying plant diseases that would otherwise often go undetected or untreated,” says Feroz Sheikh, chief information and digital officer at Syngenta.

“We are happy to participate in these initial tests with our partners. Integrated, innovative solutions are a critical path to managing the growing impact of soybean diseases and ensuring farmers have the tools they need to feed the world.”

Built-in precision

InnerPlant creates cultivars that emit specific optical signals when they are under stress caused by attacks from pathogens, such as fungal infections. These signals are visible from machines and satellites up to two weeks before the stress is visible to the human eye at the field level. Crop signal data provides early warning of an attack at the individual plant level to help a crop protection specialist optimize the use of a Syngenta product to address specific needs. John Deere's "See & Spray" technology allows treatments to be varied and applied only when necessary to prevent fungal crop damage.

“We are excited to see Syngenta join forces to develop a solution to improve customer outcomes,” said Dan Leibfried, director of corn and soybean production systems at John Deere. “This is the first time we have designed plants, equipment and inputs into an integrated, optimized solution as we work to make farmers more efficient and profitable.”

Approval of InnerPlant's lead product was announced by Cultivar Magazine on 19-07-2023: “InnerPlant Receives USDA Approval for Its Leading Commercial Product".