SaliCrop's novel seed enhancement tech makes deserts bloom

Extreme weather events—heatwaves, droughts, extreme cold snaps—pose significant threats to agriculture, contributing to the phenomenon of desertification. Globally, fertile lands are increasingly being degraded, losing the ability to sustain life and grow food. AgriTech start-up SaliCrop, Ltd., has pioneered a breakthrough seed treatment to transform arid terrain into flourishing landscapes to growing food.

Leveraging its expertise in desert technology, the company developed a novel, non-GMO approach to bolster seeds' resilience to abiotic stresses brought on by extreme climate challenges. SaliCrop's solution can help boost crop cultivation in arid regions, raising yields and elevating the value to marginal lands, turning them into arable stretches more fit for growing food. The result is greater food security for the future.

SaliCrop's benefits already are taking root in Spain's tomato industry. Saline soil and heat stress are considered the worst abiotic stressors. Dry soil with excessive salt content hinders the germination and growth potential of numerous crops. Soil salinity is largely attributed to rising sea levels which leads to seawater intrusion in coastal areas and the weathering of rock. This is exacerbated by irrigation with brackish water which for many farmers is unavoidable.

Heat stress will threaten nearly three-quarters of the world's food production over the next 20 years, according to a late 2022 report by research group Verisk Maplecroft. "The greatest concerns occupying farmers today is how to maintain yields in the face of volatile and harsh climate conditions which lead to poor soil quality," explains Sharon Devir, Ph.D., co-founder and Active Chairperson of SaliCrop. "More than 830 million hectares of agricultural land is now salty. Abiotic stresses are responsible for 30-50% loss of agricultural productivity worldwide. This amounts to a colossal USD170 billion in revenue losses yearly. Our solution centered on countering this by helping farmers who grow crops in vast open fields."

Sowing the seeds of abundance

SaliCrop's proprietary seed enhancement technology is the brainchild of Ṛcā Godbole, Ph.D., co-founder and CSO of SaliCrop. Godbole is a plant biologist who hails from a dynasty of agronomists. She dedicated time assisting smallholder farmers in coastal regions of Mumbai contending with substantial soil salinity setbacks in efforts to grow crops such as rice and beetroot. Godbole and Devir, a mechanical agronomist who established the first Arab-Israeli life science technology greenhouse in Nazareth, Israel, began conducting trials in Israel growing wheat and vegetables using saltwater irrigation in a closed facility.

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