Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
The world's population is growing, increasing food demand far beyond arable land availability, soproducers need a way to increase their yield using current acreage. Through this proposal, GlobalNeighbor Inc. (GNI), with the support of collaborator CNH Industrial (CNH) and investors, willfurther validate the technical and commercial feasibility of GNI's novel Directed Energy SeedPriming (DESP) system. Project key technology objectives are to 1) Finalize DESP design based onPhase I research; 2) Validate DESP field design with on-farm field trial; 3) Prepare for commerciallaunch; and 4) Disseminate findings within the agricultural community.DESP has the potential to bring to market an efficient and cost effective on-planter seed primingsolution, providing a product-market fit that benefits farmers and serves as a launching point forfurther innovation. The work promises to enhance farmland productivity, stimulating economicdevelopment in rural communities. The project builds on a successful Phase I and will establish thefoundation for continued commercialization efforts through private funding sources.Seed priming on row crops with DE holds the promise of sustainably increasing output from each acreby 5-10%, providing a broad societal benefit of increased food security, and the adoption of moresustainable farming practices. With the U.S. soybean market being on the order of $50B, if soybeanoutput could be increased by 5%, the proposed effort holds the promise of boosting U.S. agriculturaloutput by over $2B/yr for domestic soybean producers alone, representing a tremendous return oninvestment for the project.
Animal Health Component
0%
Research Effort Categories
Basic
5%
Applied
45%
Developmental
50%
Goals / Objectives
1. Can mobile DESP increase yields by 5%, similar to prior research2. Can mobile DESP artificially activate or up-regulate existing stress defenses with asub-lethal treatment, so plants quickly activate stress responses for better survival, evenin aged or old seeds3. Can the DESP device apply consistent treatments to seeds during planting operation,resulting in quantifiably improved crop stand uniformity and yields4. Can DESP be produced, sold, and installed as an aftermarket product at an economicallyattractive price to the end user (a farmer), based on the benefits of usage (increasedyield), while providing reasonable profitability to GNI, CNH, the dealer/installer, andother collaborators?5. Can changes to hormone levels be correlated to an improvement in plants' stress responseand early germination, and do these measures carry over to improved yield?
Project Methods
Obj 1: Finalize DESP design based on Phase I research. Having successfully demonstrated DESP proof of concept during Phase I, GNI will leverage Phase II funding to generate proof of performance in a fielded environment. Three design takeaways from Phase I will be addressed: 1) Reduce the height of the bulk fill interface section to accommodate transportation mode of the planter 2) Redesign LED cooling designs to reduce clogging risks; and 3) Design the centralized power, air flow, and control system.Objective 2: Validate DESP field design with on-farm field trialTask 2a: Design and plan field trials of corn and soybeans: Dr. Lowell- Using split-plot design of experiments as the team did for Phase I, two field trials will be conducted: one with soybeans and the other with corn. The fields will be planned with each primed section of the field the width of two combine passes (see Figure 7). Treatment levels for soybeans and corn will match the levels determined by related research conducted at Texas A&M. Dr. Lowell will design, monitor, and supervise the creation, execution, and data collection of the test plan. The data collected will include average plants/meter, average V stage of growth, and root mass at the conclusion of the test. Sampling will be taken every two weeks during the first six weeks after germination. Data will be analyzed with a single factor ANOVA model to determine the significance of the results.Task 2b: Plant field trials of soybeans and corn at FLOLO Farms: GNI and FLOLOFarms - FLOLO Farms personnel will plant the field trials. Loran Steinlage (FLOLO Farmsowner), will plant the control crop seeds using standard practices, in the locations specified inFigure 7. The primed sections of the field will be planted at the same time, except the seeds willbe passed through the DESP system before being single-ated into the ground. Figure 7 isconstructed so that half of the planter will be configured with DESP. The combine's width is thesame as the planter, enabling yield data to be collected using the combine's yield monitor, andallowing for direct side by side comparisons. Texas A&M as well as AgLaunch FarmersNetwork will monitor the field conditions and results of the trials for further dissemination ofresults.Task 2c: Analyze seed hormone data and correlate growth with improved yield:GNI, TAMU and Dr. Lowell - Preliminary research conducted by GNI and Dr. Lowell suggeststhat the photo priming is leading to upregulation and increased production of a number ofphytohormones and phytohormone precursors. Many of these compounds help plants deal withstress such as drought, salinity, nutrient uptake, insect herbivory and pathogen invasion (just toname a few). They can also help with things like seed germination, breaking of dormancy, budset, stomatal regulation, plant signaling etc. Photo priming may be enabling the plant to betterhandle stress, preserving energy and resources to invest in flowering and yield. However,achieving the right balance may be key, as excessive levels may be detrimental. The goal for thistask is to establish the level of DE required to achieve this balance (i.e., improve the crop'sability to respond to stress while avoiding an energy drag). With the help from Texas A&Mthrough TABA funding, greenhouse studies will be conducted, tracking treated plants to yieldwhile conducting mid-season tissue testing to correlate results.Objective 3: Prepare for commercial launch:Task 3a: Finalize collaboration agreement with Redekop for aftermarket sales.Task 3b: Define pre-production sales and build plansTask 3c: Refine bill of materials, aligning to customer value proposition model