DAVIS, Calif.—Farmers can now stay one step ahead in combating crop diseases thanks to InnerPlant’s new innovation. The firm, known for pioneering plant biotechnology, has launched the CropVoice Whole Farm network, an advanced system that notifies farmers when their crops are ailing, offering unprecedented visibility into plant health.
Expanding its capabilities, the CropVoice network now supports both soybean and corn crops, building upon InnerPlant’s successes with genetically modified InnerSoy plants. These plants can detect internal biological changes and glow to indicate infection. With the integration of InnerCorn, this technology now forms a robust shield for the two staple crops, empowering farmers to address plant diseases earlier and make informed decisions on fungicide applications.
CropVoice is more than just a warning system; it also keeps farmers informed through weekly scouting reports and immediate alerts when infections occur near fields. Additionally, a 24/7 agronomy dashboard offers critical data access, enhancing decision-making capabilities and crop management efficiency.
Shely Aronov, the visionary co-founder and CEO of InnerPlant, emphasized the significance of this technological leap: “This is the breakthrough the industry has been waiting for,” she said. “Corn, with over 90 million acres planted in the U.S., remains the largest crop here. Farmers face growing pressures to maximize returns as disease pressures increase. CropVoice Whole Farm gives soy and corn farmers the insights they need to make spray decisions confidently and verify infections before any symptoms appear.”
The introduction of this innovative system aims to mitigate the uncertainty often associated with traditional indicators such as weather predictions, scouting observations, soil conditions, and historical disease data. Now, plants communicate directly, signaling their own health status and marking a new era in crop disease management.
CropVoice’s plant signals are combined with other data sources like constant monitoring of environmental conditions, tissue sampling to determine what pathogens are present, and images and notes from field agronomists. These all feed into disease forecast maps for the coming week. This is supported by InnerPlant’s local field team, which holds eight PhDs and more than 60 years of combined experience.
CropVoice was named one of TIME’s Best Inventions of 2024 and InnerPlant is backed by several industry partners, including John Deere, Systemiq Capital, and an alliance of North American farmers via Coutts Agro.
To learn more about CropVoice Whole Farm and the team that’s building it, you can visit this link.