Due to population growth estimates and climate change impacts, scientists predict farmers and producers will need to increase food production to by 50% or more by 2050. As operating costs increase and natural resources decrease, farmers will likely struggle to maintain their current output… let alone increase yield.
But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Digital Journal sat down with Jonathan Destler, Founder and CEO of Opti-Harvest, a company that has developed new technology that uses natural sunlight to both increase yield and reduce water usage among traditionally resource-heavy crops like citrus, pistachio and grapes, with plans to expand to multiple types of crops.
Digital Journal: We know sunlight makes plants grow. What is different about your invention?
Jonathan Destler: It is true that every physiological process in plants is directly or indirectly related to sunlight. But that is only the surface level of the science. We have gone deeper by maximizing not only the plants’ exposure to natural sunlight, but, more importantly, their exposure to various wavelengths in the spectrum that are known to trigger specific physiological responses.
DJ: How does your product maximize exposure to sunlight?
Destler: There is a subsection of horticulture called canopy management. This is where the farmer tries to maximize light interception by selecting specific planting locations or trimming/pruning to ensure maximum light exposure to the right parts of the plant canopy. We developed a funnel collection system for sunlight to reach the inner canopy, resulting in more photosynthesis deeper into the plant or vine.
DJ: What about this notion of spectrum?
Destler: While more sunlight is generally better for plant growth and production, the spectral composition (colour) of light can make a huge difference in how plants respond. Believe it or not, it’s all about plant “eyes” that can detect their surrounding light composition, intensity, and direction, and send signals that trigger physiological responses in different parts of the plant. These plant “eyes” include several types of photoreceptors, each detecting different colours (wavelength ranges) of the solar radiation, including UV, blue, green, red, and far-red. Some can detect even minute changes in light quality and/or quantity. Generally, the blue and green spectral bands tend to slow down physiological processes, while red bands accelerate them.
We developed a system, called Opti-Filter, which increases the red light to the plant more evenly and consistently throughout the day. By providing optimal spectral environment over and inside their canopies, plants can be driven towards thriving, growing faster and larger, developing larger and more active root systems, more photosynthesis (CO2 uptake from, and O2 evolution to the atmosphere), producing more and larger fruit, and better resilience to environmental stresses, pests, and diseases. The plant also uses less water this way.
DJ: How does filtering the light spectrum reduce water usage?
Destler: By stimulating better root systems, the plants are more efficient at absorbing the drip irrigation from the ground. So, using our system, farmers can use the same amount of water and get bigger, better crops, or they can use up to 75% less water to get the same crop. The plants are also more strongly rooted to the ground and protected by our products, which is a major benefit in extreme weather conditions.
DJ: How do you know it works the way you are describing?
Destler: Our technology has been tested and proven in over 65 field trials over 7 years, and the result is overwhelmingly positive for a variety of crops. Vine crops, for example, reached full production 1-2 years faster with up to a 400% increase in yield in the first crop, used 50% less water, were five times more likely to survive the winter frost dieback, and resulted in a 65% reduction in labor cost associated with vine training. Other fruit and nut crops saw up to 40% yield increase, a 200% acceleration in canopy growth in the first year for newly planted crops, and a 70% reduction in pest damage, as well as significant labor savings.
DJ: Is there anything like this already on the market?
Destler: While I always hesitate to say there is “no competition,” I am not aware of any company offering technology like ours. Our real competition is the status quo: chemicals, genetics, fertilizer, irrigation systems. However, it’s important to note that with these conventional approaches to improving yield and productivity, getting 5% improvement is considered significant. Our results of 20-400% yield improvement is really a big deal.
Our tech is also protected by numerous patents covering the core technology as well as each product line. We also have a patent for our Opti-View software, what we call “agricultural intelligence,” which includes a precision agriculture, monitoring and AI platform
DJ: How is the company funded?
Destler: We’ve raised close to $20 million to date from private investors and family offices. We are a portfolio company of The Synergos Fund, which is a VC firm that focuses on disruptive energy and agricultural tech. We intend to list our company on the NASDAQ or NYSE at some point during the next year or two, and we hope to have more news on that soon.
DJ: What is next? Are farmers buying and using your product today?
Destler: We currently have about 25 pilot commercial customers that were early adopters of the technology. Most of them are very large growers in the Central Valley and Northern California. We are gearing up for a big commercialization push this year. Working closely with our manufacturers, all based in the United States, and our financing partners, we are able to offer very attractive pricing and financing options to growers who want to integrate our technology into their farming operations. What we’re offering in terms of benefits is really in a category of its own, so we’re very excited to see our technology in use in California and beyond.
