Source: GROWCENTIA, INC. submitted to
DEVELOPMENT OF A MICROBIAL METABOLITE-BASED BIOSTIMULANT TO ENHANCE PROFITABILITY AND COMPETITIVENESS OF CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
SMALL BUSINESS GRANT
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1016504
Grant No.
2018-33610-28596
Cumulative Award Amt.
$599,618.00
Proposal No.
2018-03184
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2018
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2020
Grant Year
2018
Program Code
[8.13]- Plant Production and Protection-Engineering
Project Director
Kendirgi, F.
Recipient Organization
GROWCENTIA, INC.
1552 RIVERSIDE AVE
FORT COLLINS,CO 80524
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Tomato growers face multiple challenges: low profit margins, increased crop stress, and strong global competition. Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) is an increasingly important component of a sustainable supply chain for tomatoes and other specialty crops, but incurs high capital costs. New technologies are needed to increase the competitiveness of US tomato growers, whether in CEA or field production, by increasing the yield of high quality fruits and vegetables without additional capital costs.Plant biostimulants - natural substances or microorganisms used to enhance plant growth - represent an exciting new tool to enhance yields and operational efficiency. Growcentia's novel biostimulant technology has shown the potential to increase tomato yields significantly over current commercial practices through multiple trials. The goal of Phase II research is to conduct all necessary R&D to establish a launching point for commercial sales. We will collect the crop trial data necessary for customer acquisition, test a sterile formulation to meet the needs of the full market, and design scalable production infrastructure.Our work plan is comprised of five tasks: (1) conduct internal trials to identify optimal application dosage and frequency for Yeti Bloom; (2) conduct external trials to compare product efficacy and value to competitive products; (3) develop engineering plans to scale production of Yeti Bloom; (4) register Yeti Bloom in key market regions.An important aspect of food security is a reliable source of affordable nutritious food, and CEA is critical to the year-round supply of fruits and vegetables. This project will support the development of new biostimulant technology that could enhance the domestic supply of tomatoes and other specialty crops without additional capital costs, which could result in a greater supply and lower cost of these highly nutritious foods.
Animal Health Component
100%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
100%
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
20314601103100%
Knowledge Area
203 - Plant Biological Efficiency and Abiotic Stresses Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1460 - Tomato;

Field Of Science
1103 - Other microbiology;
Goals / Objectives
We propose a series of tasks that will enable us to launch Yeti Bloom?, a live product comprised of the same four species, for sales directly to large growers. We will initially focus on growers of fresh tomatoes but will expand to other crops in the future. To achieve this, we need to:1. Establish optimal application rates and frequencies of Yeti Bloom? and Yeti Bloom-S in controlled environments and fields representing major US growing regions.2. Demonstrate Yeti Bloom? efficacy and grower ROI in comparison with competitive products.3. Develop engineering plans that enable production scaling to meet needs of large tomato growers for Yeti Bloom.4. Register Yeti Bloom formulations in key states with the largest markets.Our goal is to commercialize our novel technology to enable growers to increase their production of high-quality specialty crops while increasing their operational efficiency. After scaling production, distribution, and sales to US tomato farmers, we aim to expand our global exports, and produce formulations and additional products to address other specialty crops.?
Project Methods
Task 1: Conduct internal trials to identify optimal application dosage and frequency for Yeti Bloom (liquid live formulation) and Yeti Bloom-S (liquid sterile formulation).We will use our state-of-the-art greenhouse hydroponics system, capable of handling up to 40 distinct treatments, for a tomato trial emulating state-of-the-art commercial production practices . The system will be set-up with one-gallon Dosatrons® automatically injecting the correct dilution of any treatment into fertigation water which follows the variety recommended levels. Seeds will be planted in rockwool 81 cell planting trays in the greenhouse in late October 2018 and manually irrigated. In late November the seedling will be planted into 1-gallon Dutch buckets with perlite media in a randomized block (block = row) design within the six center rows (2 guard rows on the east and west side) that are oriented south-north. Blocks will be strategically assigned to give each treatment an equal chance of being in each climate zone of the greenhouse (Latin square design technique). The seedlings will be treated continuously with the target treatment for 1-2 hours (3-6 min h-1) resulting in a 1-2 gallon day-1 fertigation rate per plant. Plants will be treated with Yeti Bloom and Yeti Bloom-S at 0.1, 0.6, 1.0 and 2.5 mL gallon-1 (n=50 per treatment). Tomatoes will be harvested once they ripen on the vine. Tomatoes will be rated using USDA size classification for marketable yield in addition to assessing the number and weight of unmarketable yield (e.g. cat face, blossom-end-rot). Yield will be assessed for total number of tomatoes and weight per plant. In March 2019 the remaining mature-green tomatoes will be harvested and assessed for weight. In addition to final yield, the tomatoes will be assessed for fresh weight and on a subset (n=12 per treatment) for sugar content (Brix), pH and nutrient profile (N, P, K and Zn).Task 2: Carry out customer discovery to assess competitors productsWe aim to assess our products (Yeti Bloom and Yeti Bloom-S) against competitor products. But the marketplace for biostimulants is changing rapidly. We wonder: which product should we measure our products against? We will carry out customer discovery to assess growers' perceptions of the key competitor products. We have already begun to assemble this information, particularly through the large growers and distributors. We will expand this customer discovery to ensure that our trials are able to generate the data that our customers want to see before adopting our products.Task 3: Conduct third-party trials to compare Yeti Bloom and Yeti Bloom-S efficacy and value to competitive productsAfter we have established optimum application rates based on Task 1 results, we will commission trials through leading third-party academics and consultants to validate our product efficacy and compare to competitive products. We will conduct trials in greenhouses, in Florida fields, and California fields to represent the largest markets (about 2/3 of US acreage).Tomatoes in the hydroponic trials will be grown according to industry standards, as described above. Competitor products will be applied at recommended rates and Yeti Bloom application rates will be based on results from Task 1. Each of the study rows will contain a block of plants for each treatment (at least 7 replicates) similar to the design we've used successfully in the past. All rows of plants will be fertigated using an injector system powered by water pressure, using the same nutrient recipe and irrigation timing that emulate best commercial practices.The outdoor trials in Florida and California will be conducted in a variety of soils. We will use the regionally popular Rutgers tomato variety in California and the Rodeo variety in Florida. Fifteen blocks will be randomly assigned to each treatment and control with 5 blocks per treatment. After transplanting, plants will be treated weekly with at least one gallon of water per plant. Regional commercial standard fertilization regimes will be followed. We will collect tomatoes weekly as they ripen and weigh the yield by block. Harvested tomatoes will be rated using the USDA size classification scheme and unmarketable yield will be assessed as described in the internal trial. Every week the Brix level and pH will also be assessed on five tomatoes per block.Third-party indoor trials will be conducted by the Pacific Ag Group in the spring through the fall of 2019. We will use the Geronimo indeterminant variety with greenhouse conditions and management done according to commercial standards. A Latin square design will allow us to equally distribute treatments along climatic regions in the greenhouse. Immediately after transplanting, treatments will be added to fertigation water. Plants will be treated with the most successful Yeti Bloom and Yeti Bloom-S treatments from the internal trial conducted in the fall of 2018 in addition to the earlier mentioned competitor products. Weekly bloom and tomato counts and observations of plant vigor will be taken. Tomatoes will be harvested once ripe on the vine. Tomatoes will be rated using USDA size classification for marketable yield in addition to assessing the number and weight of unmarketable yield. Yield will be assessed for total number of tomatoes and weight per plant. Every week the Brix level and pH will also be assessed on five tomatoes per block.To complement rigorous third-party trials, we will also conduct on-farm trials through commercial growers interested in our product. We will identify these farmers by proactive in Florida, California, and other states through trade shows, which tend to occur over the winter, and through networking. These on-farm trials will occur throughout the project duration, but we will likely have greater interest following completion of our third-party field trials (task 2). In our experience, most growers do not have the setup to conduct properly replicated research or collect rigorous data. However, even their qualitative evaluation can provide valuable insights into product efficacy, compatibility, usage challenges, and value. We will support these trials by supplying Yeti Bloom and Yeti Bloom-S and with visits from our staff.Task 4: Evaluate internal and external engineering plan options to optimize and scale production of Yeti Bloom and Yeti Bloom-SScaling production capacity to align with the commercialization plan will encompass several concurrent development paths. We will explore both internal and external production options. The results of the plant trials (tasks 1-2), including data on optimal application rates will be used to model production volume requirements. For internal production scaling options we will retain the services of architecture, engineering and bio-production / fermentation consultants (e.g. Covert Engineers (Beaverton OR) and Flad Architects (Madison WI)) to design and scope a production scale-up plan. For external options we will explore pricing and conduct testing with third party toll manufacturers and contract packagers.Task 5: Register Yeti Bloom and alternative formulations.In order to sell Yeti Bloom, we will need to register it and Yeti Bloom-S in each target state as a soil amendment or biostimulant, and with OMRI for organic certification. Since each state views registration through a different lens, we will need to collect several different types of data. For example, California requires plant trial data from within the state. Thus, the data we collect during this Phase II project (Task 3) will be necessary for successful product registration.

Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Our effortswerefocused on collecting plant efficacydata, assess product application rates and develop a robust manufacturing process to demonstrate theeffectiveness, and compatiability of our technology to commercial tomato and strawberry growers. We focused on both field and controlled environement growers. In addition, this data is useful to develop future marketing tools to attract future customers and distributers. Changes/Problems:Task 4:Yeti Bloom and Yeti Bloom-S have not yet been registered. Both products are classified as soil amendments and are thus subject to each individual state's Department of Agriculture's regulations. State by state registration requirements for soil amendments are highly varied among the 50 states and can range from the simple submission of the product label and payment of a fee to the submission of a comprehensive regulatory dossier that is comprised of extensive scientific data such as plant trial results, marketing claims, heavy metal analysis, toxicity data and environmental impact studies to name a few. Registration can begin once the provisional is filed, marketting strategy is finalized and sales channels are identified/finalized. This work is anticipated to begin in 2021. Publication:A provisional patent is currently being drafted. Title:COMPOSITION FOR PLANT FERTILIZER BASED ON MICROBE-FREE BROTH.Expecting filing in Dec 2020 What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The participants in the project gained experience in translating microbial sciences performed at the benchto a commercial scale manufacturing environement including familiarization with manufacturing standards and practices. In addition, expansion of plant trials from small greenhouses to large scale operations results in valuable training in filed trial design and data management. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results have not yet been disseminated to the communities of interest (yet) as we are considering filing for patent protection in the coming months. Once the provisional(s) filed,We intend to share the results with potential customers (commercial tomato growers) and distributors. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? To addresstask 1, trials with tomatoes were conducted at several independent locations in 2019 and 2020 to evaluate Yeti Bloom S and Yeti Bloom. In 2019, we evaluated Yeti Bloom at the Pacific Ag Group in San Luis Obispo (CA).Results indicate that Yeti Bloom (0.6 mL/gal) appliedvia Dos-a-tron weekly did not elicit significantly different yield responses. However, it numerically improved the number of marketable fruits harvested by 22.7% over control (p=0.22). We also conducted field tomato trials at the University of Florida with Dr. Agehara, in 2019. The plants were treated with Yeti Bloom at a rate of 0.6 mL/gal applied once weekly throughout the entire growth cycle (10.1 gal/acre) by drip irrigation. Results indicate that Canopy area increased by 1.7% (27 day after transplanting, DAT) and 4.4% (41 DAT) compared to the control, but the effects were not statistically significant. Leaf macronutrients (N, K, and S) levels appeared to be improved by 5.9%, 8.7% and 10.5% respectively, but the effects were not statistically significant. Leaf Zn concentration was increased by 10.7% compared to the control. Other micronutrient levels also showed higher values in this treatment than the control, although the differences were not statistically significant. XL fruit and total marketable fruit yields increased by 12.7% and 13.2% in compared to the control, but the differences were not statistically significant. Unmarketable small fruit yield was reduced by 34% compared to the control, but the difference was not statistically significant. Shoot biomass at harvest and fruit Brix were not significantly affected by the treatment. In 2020, we conduct another trial at the University of Florida with Dr. S Agehara where we tested 3 Yeti Bloom prototypes on Tomato plants 'HM1823': Yeti Bloom, Yeti Bloom S and Yeti Bloom S in combination with a 3rdparty worm casting tea (Denali).Various application rates were tested for Yeti Bloom S (0.6 ml/gal, 5 mL/gal and 25 mL/gal), with or without the worm casting tea (applied per manufacturer recommendation). Results in non-destructive measurements during the experiment demonstrate that Growcentia product treatments increased plant height by up to 10% at 7 days after planting, increased stem diameter by up to 11% at 7 DAP and by up to 9% at 14 DAP. Our products also increased canopy area by up to 20% at 7 DAP and by up to 38% at 14 DAP. Finally, Growcentia product treatments increased root projected area by up to 27% at 7 DAP. In destructive measurements at the end the experiment (14 DAP), Growcentia product treatments increased total leaf area by up to 20%, increased shoot dry weight by up to 34%, increased root dry weight by up to 18% and increased total root length by up to 51% and root surface area by 60%, increased total root length by up to 51% and root surface area by 60%. Root:shoot ratio (biomass partitioning) was not affected by Growcentia product treatments. In 2020 at Pacific Ag Group in San Luis Obispo (CA), we conducted greenhouse tomato trials with Yeti bloom S.Three Yeti bloom S treatments were applied weekly: 5mL/gal, 25 mL/gal and 50 mL/gal. Data for fruit emergence rate, over all plant health, fruit yield (number and weight) as well as a fruit quality were collected. The 50mL/Gal application rate resulted in 4.29% increase in Brix, 12.09% increase in fruit width, 0.57% increase in Fruit height and 2.78% increase in plant vigor. We also conducted strawberry trials using Yeti Bloom at three separate locations. At the University of Florida (Dr. Agehara), strawberry plants 'Florida radiance' were grown using industry accepted management techniques. Treatments included Yeti Bloom (0.6mL/gal) weekly throughout the growth cycle (9.73 gal/acre), for two weeks after transplant (0.85 gal/acre) and weekly only during the bloom phase (8.88 gal/acre). Plants were monitored throughout the season, noting any relevant differences between treatments. Data collected included canopy area, plant biomass at harvest, marketable fruit yield, unmarketable fruit yield, size grades, fruit BRIX and leaf tissue analyses. Results indicate that Canopy area showed no significant effect of Yeti Bloom treatments. Post-blooming weekly treatments increased February yield by 15% and total marketable yield by 11% compared to the untreated control. These increases were statistically significant. Overall, Yeti Bloom treatments were recommended to be performed after blooming. Another strawberry trial was conducted by the University of California Agriculture and Natural resources (UCANR) at Manzanita Berry Farms by Dr Surendra Dara. Yeti Bloom was applied at 0.6 ml/gal and 1 mL/gal through drip for 90 min weekly from the first drip application. Competitor products i.e. Nutrisorb-L (Innovak Global), a microbe-rich Vermi-extract (TerraVesco), Germinal Plus (Fertum), EcoSil (Shemin Garden), EX10 (NanoChem), prototype 1-4 (BiOWiSH) we applied per recommendations in side by side trials. Results show that overall Yeti Bloom at 1mL/gal performed better than the 0.6mL/gal application. Overall in comparison with competitors' products, treatment with Yeti Bloom at 1 mL/gal resulted in 4.4% change from grower standard, the third highest change after BiOWiSH products. In a third trial conducted in Ventura county CA by Holden research and Consulting. The variety (Portola) utilized for this trial was grown in a commercial block of strawberries. This trial was set up with four treatments (grower standard, Yeti Bloom at 0.6 mL/gal weekly, 0.6 mL/gal every other week and 1 mL/gal every other week). Based on the data collected in this trial, the low rate Yeti Bloom applications applied every other week for this fall production period appeared to have significantly positive effects on yields, due to higher average weights of marketable fruit and higher production of marketable fruit, along with a general increase in total fruit production. The low rate Yeti Bloom applications applied every other week continued to produce nice yields relative to the grower standard while the prices increase thus giving substantially better relative returns to the farm. All data rated as significant was done so utilizing the New Duncan's Multiple Test Range at a 90% confidence level. To addresstask 2, we performed a competitor landscape analysis and compared Yeti Bloom application rate, concentrations and cost per application to 22 other commercially available microbe-based products of similar use. Yeti Bloom at 0.6 mL/gal is the most affordable (cost/application) OMRI listed product amongst the competition. Task 3was accomplisehd by optimizing and refiningthe current production process for Yeti Bloom. Over the courseof this grant, process optimization and scale-up efforts for the production of Yeti Bloom and Yeti Bloom S have resulted the establishment of a robust manufacturing platform at Growcentia's headquarters with a 50% increase in manufacturing staff. This new platform has been proven over the course of 2019 and 2020 to increase final product manufactured throughput per month by 37%, increase maximum annual production capacity by 63%, decrease the production time cycle by 80%, decrease product out of specification by 81%, decrease costs associated with quality control by 96% and decrease cost of goods manufactured by 50 %. Manufactured products using this new platform have been used in the plant efficacy trials described above. Task 4: In order to successfully launch Yeti Boom and/or Yeti Bloom-S in each state, the data in this grant will be considered to support product efficacy claims on plants as required by state regulators to ensure that the product(s) meet these state requirements.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/18 to 08/31/19

    Outputs
    Target Audience:We have used this grant to disseminate our ideas and potential product formulationsat the USDA/LARTA CWT commercialization workshop (November 14-15). Two of our lead scientists (Drs Karuna Chourey and Peter Baas) attended the AgBioTech Summit in Raleigh, NC (February 26-28, 2019). Peter Baas also presented at the AgBioTech Summit. Changes/Problems:As we conducted more market research it became clear that our current microbial formulation being applied frequently might have challenges to fit into current management practices. As such, we incuded two other biostimulant prototypes that are only applied part of the growth cycle and, thus, are more easily incorporated into current management practices. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?1) Two of our scientists (Drs Peter Baas and KarunaChourey) attended the USDA/LARTA CWT commercialization workshop in Washington, DC 2) Two of our scientists (Drs Peter Baas and KarunaChourey) and the CEO (Gregg Steinberg) attended the AgBioTech Summit 2019. 3) Two members of our executive leadership (Colin Bell and Gregg Steinberg) attended the World Agri-tech Innovation Conference, SF CA Feb 2019. Our CEO alsoattended 1) Davos on the Delta - Food and Ag Summit Memphis TN May 2019; 2) 2019 Crops & Chemicals Raleigh, NC May 2019. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The next reporting period will be characterized by the following activities: 1) Analyze and interpret all the greenhouse and field data 2) Test final product application regime efficacy against competitor products 3) Disseminating findings at the 4thPartnerships in Biocontrol, Biostimulants & Microbiome in Raleigh November 4-5, 2019

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? We are currently conducting trials with third party entities and the initial data is promising but the final results will not be in until the end of the growing season (August/September). 1. The trials to dial in application rates are being conducted currently with Pacific Ag and the University of Florida 2. These tests will be conducted based on the most successful Yeti Bloom formulation 3. We recently hired a Executive of Director of Production and MSAT with the specific goal of upgrading our production platform 4. Yeti Bloom is currently registered in all 50 states in the US.

    Publications

    • Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Accepted Year Published: 2019 Citation: Baas, P. (2019). Multi-species consortia: Developing the next generation of biostimulants to improve specialty crop yield and health. AgBioTech Summit, oral presentation, Raleigh, February 2019.