Light is integral to crop growth and development. Now, it could play a valuable role in protecting corn and soybean seed from stress while improving plant composition and resiliency, according to new technology from BioLumic.
Specifically, BioLumic is partnering with Gro Alliance to introduce ultraviolet (UV) light seed treatment technology for corn and soybean growers starting in 2024.
The technology works by deploying precise, short-duration light signals to seeds and young plants to improve their yield, quality, growth patterns and health, according to Steve Sibulkin, CEO of BioLumic.
“Importantly, our platform is focused on plant photomorphogenesis – not photosynthesis – a well-established process covering the ability to regulate the genetic expression of plants with light,” Sibulkin tells Farm Journal. “What BioLumic has contributed is the ability to identify what specific light treatments elicit positive growth traits that are important to farmers.”
Yield Benefits Defined By In-Field Testing
Since 2021, the company has tested light-treated corn and soybeans seeds on more than 3,000 United States field plots, with average yield increases of 15% in corn and 12% in soybeans.
“(Our) research has proven that UV light signaling induces increased root biomass and sturdier plant structure, which leads to better field establishment, nutrient efficiency, early crop vigor and plant health,” Sibulkin says. “We’ve also done work that shows how we’re regulating a plant’s metabolism in a way that primes it to fight off disease and pests.”
Prior to conducting large-scale field plots, the company spent 20 years researching the technology and its potential application for agriculture.
“This is an incredibly complex task,” Sibulkin says. “There are trillions of potential light recipes and identifying light treatments that trigger the right effects on specific genetics in varying growing environments is only possible due to decades of scientific research alongside advances in molecular biology, genetics and UV LED technology.
Not An Either-Or Seed Treatment
Sibulkin says the technology won’t necessarily be an either/or solution for farmers but rather a tool that complements and optimizes the technologies they already use.
“We have validated, for example, the efficacy of our light treatments on GMO and non-GMO crops. We have already shown that a light treatment does not at all diminish the efficacy of chemical treatments when they are applied,” he notes. “This year we’re studying how treated seeds can positively impact various biologicals.”
Corn and soybean growers will get the benefit of this technology embedded in the seed, starting with Gro Alliance companies. “We’re integrating our science and technology right into their seed conditioning facilities,” Sibulkin says.
The partnership is starting production with the Gro Alliance Mt. Pulaski, Ill., facility and will then expand across the Midwest, according to a company news release.
Pricing for the technology has not yet been established.
“The cost of the light treatments will be part of the prices of the premium seed, and that cost will be passed down by Gro Alliance. Ultimately the process is high value and affordable and should make grower practices even more efficient,” Sibulkin says.
