Bright Idea: Growing Concern

Farmers who can raise crop yields while responding to issues like climate change and water scarcity have a significant advantage. Toward that end, a Pullman firm launched in 2012 by scientists at Washington State University sells hardy plantlets it grows in a lab using secret sauces of nutrients.

Think of [plants in] a jar with Jell-O, with all the vitamins and nutrients they need, says Phytelligence cofounder Tyson Koepke.

The plants are clones, just like nursery-bred plants. We take one plant and we grow it for a month and we can cut it into three plants, explains Koepke. And each of those plants will become another three after another month. So were able to get a threefold increase every month.

The plantlets are transferred to a greenhouse, where they are grown to 18 inches and sold to nurseries. Farmers looking to plant 10 acres of apples trees might normally have to wait five years for the trees. We can shorten that time down to about two years, says Koepke. Last year, we produced and delivered 110,000 plants. By the spring of 2016, he says the company will have 500,000 plants available for farmers to buy.

Phytelligences proprietary process, developed by WSU plant scientist Amit Dhingra and his research team, requires less than a gallon of water to grow an apple plantlet to the point at which it is ready for planting. (The conventional approach requires 50 gallons.) The resulting smart plants also have far higher survival rates after planting.

Each type of plant requires its own recipe of nutrients. Some of the varieties and species we have worked with dont necessarily apply directly right now to other areas of the country, Koepke notes. But as we expand our technology and offerings, we expect to be able to help growers all around the country, and even around the world.

So far, Phytelligence has sold its plants largely to in-state farmers and nurseries. In fact, two-thirds of the companys initial round of financing came from these potential customers.