Read the full article from iGrow News here:
Key Takeaways
- Gary Schaefer, Chief Commercial Officer at InnerPlant, explains how CropVoice™ and InnerSoy™ sensors detect fungal infections in real time through plant-generated optical signals.
- The system’s multi-layer validation process—combining field imaging, lab data, and weather analytics—ensures reliability before farmers receive alerts.
- InnerPlant is scaling rapidly, expanding from 50,000 acres in 2025 to more than 500,000 in 2026 through partnerships with CropLife 100 retailers.
- CropVoice enables precision fungicide application, improving ROI and reducing unnecessary input costs.
- Schaefer envisions a future where plants communicate stress directly, ushering in a proactive, data-driven approach to crop management.
Gary Schaefer on the Science Behind CropVoice™
“CropVoice is powered by InnerSoy sensors—genetically engineered soybeans that emit an optical signal when infected by fungal pathogens, like white mold or frogeye leaf spot,” said Gary Schaefer. “We know which genes plants activate under stress, so we insert DNA that tells the plant to produce a fluorescent protein when it starts fighting a fungal infection.”