As potato growers face tighter margins, higher input costs, more erratic weather and growing pressure to improve soil and water stewardship, a Michigan-based company is positioning hydrogen-based crop chemistry as one possible tool in the search for more efficient production systems.
Aqueus, based in Troy, Michigan, has developed a product platform built around stabilized hydrogen chemistry. Its agricultural product line, Growthful, is marketed as an auxiliary soil amendment designed to improve soil conditions, nutrient availability, plant vigor and crop performance. The company’s wider portfolio also includes TypHall, a chlorine dioxide activator aimed at sanitation and water-treatment applications, and Freshful, a post-harvest produce wash being developed to help extend shelf life and reduce food waste.
For potato producers, the practical question is not whether hydrogen chemistry is a silver bullet. It is not. The more useful question is whether these products can help growers make better use of the soil, water, nutrients and biological activity already present in their farming systems.
Mike Skinner, Chief Executive Officer of Aqueus, says the company’s message to growers is centered on efficiency rather than replacement.
“Our goal is not to ask growers to abandon the systems they already trust,” Skinner says. “It is to help them get more value from the soil, water and nutrients already present in their fields.”
Why potatoes are a logical proving ground
Potatoes are among the most technically demanding crops grown commercially. They are sensitive to soil structure, water availability, nutrient timing, compaction, disease pressure and stress during key stages such as emergence, tuber initiation and bulking.
That makes potato systems a natural testing ground for products that claim to improve root-zone function, nutrient movement, water-use efficiency and crop resilience. At the same time, it also raises the standard. Potato growers need more than broad claims. They need field data, clear economics, compatibility information and practical evidence under commercial conditions.
“Potatoes are a demanding crop, and that is exactly why we believe they are an important crop for this kind of technology,” Skinner says. “If a product can help improve soil function, nutrient availability and stress response in potatoes, it has to prove itself under real commercial pressure.”
Growthful and the potato opportunity
Growthful is the core Aqueus product likely to interest potato producers. The company describes it as a clear liquid auxiliary soil amendment that can be applied through several methods, including broadcast, in-furrow, drip line, center pivot, fertigation, aerial application, drone application and post-emergence spray programs.
Aqueus currently presents Growthful in several formulations or use patterns. Growthful Pre-Emerge is positioned as a soil enhancer intended to help unlock nutrients, improve soil structure and support root vigor. Growthful Pre-Emerge Max is aimed more directly at compacted soil conditions, including high-traffic areas such as headlands. Growthful Post-Emerge Spray is designed for in-season use, with the company saying it provides hydrogen to improve nutrient availability and promote plant vigor.
“We see Growthful as a tool that works with the grower’s existing program,” Skinner says. “It is not about replacing sound agronomy. It is about helping the crop access more of what is already there — in the soil, in the water and in the fertility program.”
Across the Growthful line, Aqueus says the intended benefits include buffering soil pH and redox potential, freeing up nutrients already present in the soil, improving water and nutrient availability, supporting nutrient-use efficiency and improving tolerance to abiotic stress.
Skinner says Aqueus sees Growthful as part of a broader move toward more efficient crop production.
“Growers are under pressure to produce more with less — less wasted fertilizer, less water loss, less stress on the crop and less economic risk,” he says. “That is the space where we believe hydrogen-based chemistry can make a practical contribution.”
These are relevant claims for potato production, but they need careful evaluation. Results will depend on soil type, irrigation water quality, fertility program, variety, weather, disease pressure, application timing and how the product is integrated into the rest of the crop management system.
Potato-specific evidence now available
Aqueus has published several crop case studies, including potato-related examples.
One involved a 120-acre irrigated potato field in Nebraska, where Aqueus says 60 acres were treated with Growthful chemistry and 60 acres were managed conventionally as the control. According to the company, the treated area produced higher-value, larger tubers and greater quantities, with an overall yield increase averaging 5 to 6 percent in that trial. Aqueus also reported earlier harvest readiness in the treated crop.
Another example cited by the company involved Jersey Royal seed crops on the Island of Jersey, where a grower testimonial reported improved growth and quality, with final tuber tonnage increases ranging from 6 to 20 percent over several seasons.
More recently, Aqueus posted a 2025 potato trial update involving Walther Farms in Newberry, Michigan. The public post confirms the trial, but does not provide enough detailed agronomic data to allow readers to independently assess the full results.
The early potato-specific material is interesting enough to justify attention, but broader independent validation would strengthen the case. For a potato industry audience, the next step is clear: trial design, field history, soil data, variety, fertility program, water quality, treatment rates, harvest data and statistical analysis all need to be visible.
Walther Farms lab analysis and the shelf-life question
Mike Skinner says Aqueus is also working to test whether its approach can help extend potato shelf life. The latest lab analysis shared by the company, prepared by A&L Great Lakes Laboratories for mature Walther Farms potato tuber samples taken on September 28, 2024, compared samples identified as PRE & POST, PRE ONLY and CONTROL.
The numbers point to two differences that Aqueus believes may matter for storage. On a dry-weight basis, calcium measured 0.04% in both the PRE & POST and PRE ONLY samples, compared with 0.03% in the control. Aluminum measured 85 ppm in the PRE & POST sample and 83 ppm in the PRE ONLY sample, compared with 165 ppm in the control. On a fresh-weight basis, aluminum measured 22.5 ppm and 19.2 ppm in the two treatment samples, compared with 41.3 ppm in the control.
The significance is potential rather than conclusive. Calcium is associated with tuber cell-wall and membrane integrity, while lower aluminum levels may indicate a less restrictive root-zone environment. Both factors could plausibly relate to shelf life, handling quality and storage performance.
However, the lab report is not a storage trial. Shelf-life claims would still need to be confirmed through controlled assessments of weight loss, sprouting, shrink, pressure bruise, disease development, internal quality and fresh-market or processing performance after storage.
“We believe and are working to do testing on whether we can extend potato shelf life,” Skinner says. “The lab analysis shows increased calcium and reduced aluminum, both of which we believe should help support better shelf life.”
Aqueus’ broader product direction
Aqueus’ recent website updates suggest the company is positioning Growthful not only as a yield-support product, but as part of a wider input-efficiency and soil-function approach.
One recent post compares Growthful with ammonium sulfate in certain spray and water-management situations. Aqueus argues that Growthful buffers water through hydrogen-based chemistry rather than relying on salt-based acidification. The company says this can support more stable pH, improved nutrient solubility and better crop-input performance in the spray tank.
That matters in potatoes, where water quality and tank-mix performance can influence herbicide, fungicide, insecticide and foliar nutrient programs. However, growers would still need to verify compatibility with their own water source, crop protection products, labels and agronomist recommendations.
Another Aqueus post focuses on biological inputs. The company argues that biological products perform more consistently when the soil-root environment supports microbial survival, nutrient cycling and root activity. Growthful is presented as a “performance layer” that helps stabilize pH and redox balance in the rhizosphere.
“Biological products have tremendous potential, but they need the right environment to perform,” Skinner says. “Our view is that the root zone has to be more stable and more functional if growers are going to get consistent value from biologicals.”
Aqueus has also announced that TypHall Plus, its patented chlorine dioxide activator, has achieved OMRI certification for use in organic production and processing. TypHall is not a potato yield product, but it may be relevant further along the value chain, including irrigation water treatment, food-contact sanitation, equipment lines, processing systems, biofilm management and clean production environments.
“Food safety, sanitation and water quality are becoming more important across the entire production chain,” according to Skinner. “For us, the opportunity is not only in the field. It is also in helping growers, packers and processors think more carefully about clean systems, safer chemistry and waste reduction.”
Freshful, meanwhile, is described by Aqueus as a hydrogen-powered fruit and vegetable wash designed to extend shelf life and help reduce food waste. For potatoes, any such post-harvest wash would need careful evaluation against skin integrity, disease pressure, storage conditions, market class and buyer specifications.
Where the benefits may lie
For potato growers, the strongest potential fit for Aqueus’ technology appears to fall into several areas: soil structure, nutrient availability, water and spray quality, stress tolerance and system integration.
Soil structure is especially important. Potatoes need a friable, well-aerated root zone for uniform emergence, strong root development and good tuber set. Products aimed at improving root-zone conditions or easing compaction may be of interest, particularly in fields with heavy traffic, tight rotations or heavier soils.
Nutrient availability is another key issue. Fertility programs in potatoes are expensive, and more fertilizer does not automatically mean better crop performance. If Growthful can help make existing nutrients more available or improve uptake efficiency, the economic implications could be meaningful.
Water quality and spray performance also matter, particularly where farm water sources influence spray-tank chemistry and input performance. Stress tolerance is becoming increasingly important as potato crops face heat, drought, excess moisture and other weather-related pressures.
Skinner says Aqueus is looking for growers and advisers willing to evaluate the technology honestly under real-world conditions.
“We are not interested in claims that cannot stand up in the field,” he says. “The most valuable voices are growers, agronomists and crop advisers who are willing to test, measure and help us understand where this technology fits best.”
The final point is system integration. The future of potato agronomy is unlikely to be built around single products. It will be built around systems: soil health, precision irrigation, nutrient efficiency, biologicals, disease management, storage quality and market-specific crop goals. Aqueus appears to be positioning Growthful within that systems approach.
Evidence should lead the conversation
The potato industry has seen many input products arrive with ambitious claims. Some have earned a place in grower programs. Others have not delivered consistently enough to justify adoption.
The responsible way to assess Growthful is not to dismiss it, but also not to accept every claim at face value. Potato growers considering the product should ask for crop-specific data, product labels, compatibility guidance, trial protocols and economic analysis. They should also consider their own strip trials or replicated comparisons under commercial conditions.
The most useful questions are practical ones. What varieties and market classes have been tested? Was the crop grown for processing, fresh market or seed? What were the soil type, pH, organic matter level and compaction status? What irrigation water was used? What fertility program was in place? How was yield measured? Were tuber size profile, specific gravity, defects, disease incidence and storage performance assessed? Was return on investment calculated after product and application costs?
These are not hostile questions. They are the right questions. Good products should be able to withstand them.
A call for grower voices and field-level validation
Aqueus says it is looking for interested voices to help get its message to more growers. For the potato industry, the most useful voices will be those who can help turn product claims into field-level understanding: growers, agronomists, crop consultants, researchers, storage specialists, processors and packers willing to test, question, measure and report.
That is where new technologies earn credibility. Not through louder marketing, but through transparent results, grower-led validation and practical agronomy.
“We are looking for growers and advisers who are willing to be honest partners in the process,” Skinner says. “The best way to build trust is through transparent field experience — not just company claims, but results that growers can see, question and measure for themselves.”
For now, Growthful and the broader Aqueus platform should be viewed as part of an emerging category of input-efficiency and soil-function technologies. The concept is timely. The potato-specific potential is real enough to investigate. The next step is more independent, well-documented potato trials across regions, varieties, soil types and production systems. That is how useful innovation moves from promise to practice.
Author: Lukie Pieterse, Editor/Publisher Potato News Today
Image: Credit Potato News Today
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