Smart seeds: Teaching plants to talk

By the time farmers know their crops are too dry, or being attacked by pests, it’s often too late: huge chunks of their harvest are toast.

But what if plants could talk?

Well … we’d sort of have Google Translate for plants. Check it out:

What if plants could tell us when pests are attacking them, or they’re too dry, or they need more fertilizer. One startup is gene engineering farm plants so they can communicate in in fluorescent colors. The result: a farmer’s phone, drone, or even satellite imagery can reveal what is happening in hundreds of acres of fields …

That leads to better food, fewer crop failures, and more revenue for farmers.

In this TechFirst we meet Shely Aronov, CEO and founder at InnerPlant, and chat about what plants say, and how farmers can understand their messages.

Get a full transcript right over here …

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