Hunnicutt plants soybeans that talk to grower

CropVoice hybrid sends a signal at first sign of disease 
 

  • A thunderstorm prepares to drop rain on Brandon Hunnicutt’s soybean field near Giltner, some of which has been planted with CropVoice seeds. The special hybrid plant will give off a signal that can be detected by a satellite when a fungus such as white mold infects the plant and before an infection could be seen with the naked eye.
    A thunderstorm prepares to drop rain on Brandon Hunnicutt’s soybean field near Giltner, some of which has been planted with CropVoice seeds. The special hybrid plant will give off a signal that can be detected by a satellite when a fungus such as white mold infects the plant and before an infection could be seen with the naked eye.
  • The plant on the right in both images is a traditional soybean and the one on the left is an InnerSoy plant. The image on the left is of the two plants under normal lighting and the image on the right is the same plants seen under an excitation light and filter to show the InnerSoy plant signaling the presence of disease.
    The plant on the right in both images is a traditional soybean and the one on the left is an InnerSoy plant. The image on the left is of the two plants under normal lighting and the image on the right is the same plants seen under an excitation light and filter to show the InnerSoy plant signaling the presence of disease.
    While the unique plants have yet to emerge from the soil in Brandon Hunnicutt’s soybean field a mile west of Giltner, a sign posted along County Road G announces that some of the plants will have the ability to communicate the first signs of a fungal infection. It’s all part of a new biotechnology built into the seeds by the seed technology company, InnerPlant. It’s an innovation that cou...

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