Stevia extract supplier Almendra has moved into new territory with an agtech innovation it claims can dramatically boost yields in crops from soybeans to rice by exposing them to certain wavelengths of light during the night.
The so-called "night interruption" technology has been used in greenhouses for many years, but Almendra is the "first to create a system for open field agriculture," claimed cofounder and CEO Inder Singh, who was speaking to AgFunderNews at the recent World Agri-Tech summit in San Francisco.
"Night break technology, also known as night interruption lighting, has been studied extensively in academic settings to manipulate flowering in photoperiod-sensitive crops. By introducing short bursts of light, often red or far-red LEDs during the night, farmers can delay or induce flowering, leading to improved yield, better crop timing, or adaptability to new climates."
More vegetative growth
The firm, which has its HQ in Singapore and manufacturing facilities in Thailand, holds US and Australian patents for mobile irrigation rigs kitted out with banks of LEDs. According to Almendra, the night lighting impacts flowering, leaf production, and ultimately, yield.
Stevia plants, for example, are "short-day" plants, which means they flower when nights are longer in late summer or fall. When the night length exceeds a certain threshold, it triggers flowering.
To delay or eliminate flowering, growers can extend day length with artificial light applied at certain wavelengths or prevent long nights using lighting to create "night breaks," explained Singh.
Delaying flowering in stevia plants increases yield because the plant keeps producing leaves (where the sweet compounds are concentrated) instead of shifting energy to making flowers and seeds. "More vegetative growth means more leaves and a higher sweetener yield."
The approach enhances plant robustness, increases biomass, and improves yields simply through optimizing light, he said. This is inherently more appealing to growers than using costly crop inputs or genetic engineering, said Singh, who is seeking to commercialize the tech with partners on a variety of crops from soybeans and hops to rice and cotton.
© Elaine WatsonNigel Innes, Kim Hunter, and Inder Singh at the Almendra booth at World Agri-Tech, San Francisco
Significant yield boost on soybean crops in Brazil
The concept of using artificial light to optimize plant growth is not new, noted Singh, but it has been historically limited to high-value crops in greenhouses.
However, sharp reductions in the cost of LEDs make the business case for augmented crop lighting in open fields via irrigation rigs more attractive, added Singh, who is exploring a licensing model to get the technology into the marketplace.
"We've got five years of successful field trials of this tech with stevia plants and seen significant yield improvements, making it a viable solution for large-scale agriculture."
Large field trials on soybeans in Brazil, whereby the night lighting delayed flowering by two weeks, have also demonstrated significant yield improvements by giving the plants more time to grow leaves and stems, building a stronger canopy for photosynthesis.
The tech has also shown promise in several other crops, with trials on Chrysanthemums (Cornell, University of Florida, University of Wageningen); hops (University of Florida); cotton (CSIRO), and rice (Kyoto University, International Rice Research Institute).
According to Singh, "A lot of farms already use irrigation rigs, so it is just a question of retrofitting them to add the LED lighting." The cost per hectare is more than paid off by the resulting yield bump, he claimed.
"Almendra seeks licensing partners for crops and geographies where our patents apply. The initial focus would likely be the USA, Brazil and Australia."
Asked how easy it is for growers to implement the tech, he said: "It is easy to retrofit irrigation rigs with LED lighting which are now compact and inexpensive. Once fitted, the rig works as any irrigation rig. The timing and duration will be advised by Almendra. In cases of high value crops it is practical to implement moving lighting rigs in open fields with or without irrigation."
For more information:
Almendra
https://almendra.com/