John Deere, Syngenta and seed startup InnerPlant are working together to develop the world's first integrated precision platform to combat fungus in soybeans, according to an article from Bloomberg.
"This platform marks the first time ever that signals produced by a plant’s physiological response to infection will be linked to optimized crop treatments delivered with See & Spray precision," says Sean Yokomizo, director of communications for InnerPlant. "This unprecedented collaboration between a startup and two large incumbents is a thrilling milestone for InnerPlant and a key step toward delivering massive value to farmers."
InnerPlant is developing a variety of genetically-engineered plants that emit a fluorescent light, or signal, when they're experiencing fungal pressure, attacked by pests, lacking nutrients or moisture.
According to the Bloomberg article, Deere's See & Spray technology can detect the fluorescent light, and then the plants can be treated with a Syngenta fungicide designed for early applications. All this will be designed to take place weeks before the disease potential would've been detected by the human eye. The first plants are expected to be in fields in 2024, but it’s unknown when the technology will be sold commercially to farmers.
