“Innovations are popping up left, right, and centre. I am amazed by the sheer amount of new technology that emerges these days – let me mention a few examples which were highlighted in Future Farming in 2020,” writes Geert Hekkert, Chief editor of Future Farming, in a recent article published in the magazine.
Hekkert mentions that a new molecule which increases the temperature of plants has been found, and this molecular heating effect allows crops to grow in winter as well, for example.
Additionally, researchers now know which types of chloroplasts use sunlight most efficiently. With these new insights, they expect to soon be able to grow plants which use up to 1.5% of the available sunlight, as opposed to the current 0.5%.
Another remarkable discovery is a gel which, when mixed with soil, absorbs water from the air during cooler nights. During the day, the sun activates the water-retaining gel, releasing the water into the soil and to the plant roots.
2020 also marks the year when a plant first communicated with satellites, via an implanted microchip (4) powered by the plant’s own energy. This allows the crop itself to “tell” a grower if it needs water or fertiliser.
Source: Future Farming. Full article here
Photo: Fertilisers, chemistry, and mechanisation revolutionised agriculture in the previous century. Now new technologies could spark a new revolution | Canva
