Saving Crops

The name of InnerPlant’s data platform, CropVoice, suggests its plants communicate their individual feelings to farmers. It’s kind of true. Plants react when they need nutrients or are stressed by insects or pathogens. But InnerPlant has modified soy, corn, and cotton genetics to turn that natural response into a protein that emits a fluorescent optical signal, detectable by sensors on satellites, drones, or tractors, so farmers can take action early, even before damage is visible in a plant’s growth. In late 2023, InnerPlant teamed with manufacturer John Deere and fungicide maker Syngenta to pilot test early sensing of fungal disease on soybeans, aiming to reduce overuse of chemical pesticides and enhance yields. The company has big ambitions for expansion: “Eventually farmers will buy a bag of seeds and have every plant in their field communicating,” says CEO and co-founder Shely Aronov. “There will be three, four different signals in every seed.”