Automated Pollination Tech Aims for California Almonds

Posted by Growing Produce Staff|December 3, 2019

Israeli agtech startup Edete Precision Technologies for Agriculture has successfully completed field trials in almond orchards in Israel using its unique 2-step mechanical pollen harvesting and pollination distribution system and is now aiming for entry into the almond market in California. The trials resulted in a substantially increased yield in Israel. Additionally, Edete has recently tested its technology in Australia and proved its ability to produce high-quality viable pollen.

About 75% of the world’s crops rely on insect pollination for yield and quality. Without an alternative pollination solution to reduce the dependency on honeybees in the coming years, food prices might climb sharply, and supply might not meet the growing demand.

On a similar note, a Syracuse, NY-based company named Dropcopter has been using hexacopters successfully in a handful of crops, including almond, apple, cherry, and pear. In three years of trials, using drone-augmented pollination increased yields by 25% to 50%.

Larger commercial scale testing of Edete’s new system will continue in Israel and Australia. The company plans to begin a pilot program using the technology in 2022 in California. “We are initially focusing our efforts on almonds, but our game-changing technology has huge potential for a wide range of other crops as well,” stated Eylam Ran, CEO and Co-Founder at Edete.

The list of additional crops includes apples, cherries, pears, blueberries, plums, cotton, rapeseed, sunflowers, and more.