Beneficial Microbes Yield 11% More Cotton
This past year, Indigo partnered with more than 70 farmers to plant field trials of the microbial seed treatment. In all, the seed treatment was tested across 50,000 acres and 21 test locations in multiple states, and in west Texas (the target geography for the product), 40,000 tested acres showed an average 11% cotton yield increase with the seed treatment.
West Texas farmer Shawn Holladay of H2H Farms said their field trial included 40 acres treated and 40 acres untreated, and the treated acres harvested 60 lb. more per acre.
Indigo Cotton is a seed treatment based on naturally occurring, in-plant microbes (endophytes) that has been developed to help increase water use efficiency and improve yields when plants are growing under water stress.
The company identifies beneficial microbes, which are then tested in laboratory assays, greenhouse trials, and field trials to identify the best candidates. Once commercialized, Indigo’s algorithms are refined via feedback from continued testing in diverse conditions and in partnership with growers. Products can be improved each year after they are first commercialized. This approach overcomes the limitations of testing agricultural products in controlled trials only.
AgPro, January 13, 2017