The using of technology and science in the field of agriculture is not new there are already several inventions done and are effectively been used by farmers to increase their yield and profitability. Agriculture contributes majorly to the global economy and for most of the countries in Asia, it provides large employment and a source of income. Agriculture has a vital role in promoting economic growth, environmental sustainability, and the food system. In New Zealand agriculture, fishery, and forestry are high in production and export. The farming sector includes dairy, meat products, and horticulture, in the year 2023 the GDP (gross domestic product) generated from this industry was around 13.9 billion New Zealand dollars.
The largest production of the country is Kiwi fruit which is exported highly and brings more value to the Horticulture sector. The main issue faced in raising crops is the changing climatic condition which reduces the proper growth of plants and hence leads to loss and less productivity. In this article, we are discussing an innovative technology that helps in crop production and a biotech company founded by Jason Wargent called BioLumic. This is used to program plants with light to improve their growth and reduce disease.
Dr. Jason Wargent: Founder & CSO
Jason Wargent is the founder and Chief Science Officer of an agri-tech startup company called BioLumic which was founded in the year 2012. He is the world-leading plant UV photobiologist and has done more than 15 research. He obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the studies of Plant Physiology from Lancaster University. During his PhD course, Jason took part in a program that delivered fundamental scientific and tech-transfer insights for the application of UV photobiology for agronomic gains. He worked as an Associate professor at Massey University, for one of the world’s top 25 agri-science Universities. later he was an entrepreneur in Residence and Professor. As he was more into plants and the agriculture sector he started his experiments by applying the technique of programming plants with light.
About BioLumic
BioLumic is an agriculture company which is located at Palmerston North, that makes use of science and technology to increase the yield along with the profitability of the framer. BioLumic UV-based technology is used to deliver ultraviolet light rays to seeds to trigger the mechanism that is helpful in the growth of the plant this also improves the plant’s performance. The science behind it is to control the seed to gain sustainable grains, seeds have their known growth mechanism and a generic composition where these genes transduce UV signals and regulate the downstream technology. With the help of BioLumic technology, we can introduce the targeted application into a seed before growing it which benefits the crop productivity.
Different combinations of the UV recipes are created and tested by sowing them, which gives the exact winning combination of the seed. In many cases, fruits and vegetables are initially grown at the nursery and are later transferred to the field or other farmland for harvesting but at BioLumic they apply UV light technology to seedlings that unlock the potential of the plant. Along with the nutritional value the major thigh is the sustainability of crops in different climatic conditions that might occur and also the resistance and tolerance to diseases. BioLumic helps strengthen the roots of crops by the alteration of root architecture and their manipulation of UV morphogenesis will result in an increase of biomass to roots. All these will help in increasing plant nutrients and hence the growth of crops.
They have effective results and growth with crops like cannabis, row crops, and strawberries. Seeds of the cannabis plant are full of untapped genetic potential with which the one-time application of UV light treatment will provide the optimized physical and chemical properties that result in the best growth and yield of these plants. This is also more effective in boosting the growth of strawberries with applied at the young stage. BioLumic with the use of the Light Signal Recipe Platform for different combination-making will provide the best treatment that does not need any chemical application which will also result in the growth and high yield of crops and hence, increase profitability.