What do my crops need? The answer to this question is crucial to the success of gardeners but also farmers. But how, for example, can the right amount of fertilizer be estimated to increase yields and prevent overfertilization? And how can this be done simply, quickly and non-invasively, i.e. without a mortar and a laboratory? The start-up Phytoprove from Frankfurt has a solution for this: "We are developing new devices that measure the state of supply, for example, of grapevines, vegetable plants or grain, display it and transfer it to a cloud. This way, everyone can fertilize and water their plants on time and as needed," explains Phytoprove founder Dr. Thomas Berberich.
We can read fluorescence phenomena
To do this, a biophysical method is used that targets the plants' photosynthesis: "We apply a saturating light pulse to the leaves so that photosynthesis takes place. Then we can read fluorescence phenomena as well as reflectance, which directly correlates with the plants' nitrogen supply," Berberich said. This "response" of the plants to the light signal can literally be recorded in seconds with the Phytoprove devices and displayed on a smartphone or tablet via app. The future portfolio is expected to range from simple handheld devices to measuring heads on tractors and drones. Despite the Corona pandemic, the Phytoprove team is confident that sales of the handheld devices will start in mid-2021.
DBU supports green start-ups
The Green Start-ups of today are the market leaders of tomorrow - according to this view, the DBU has been increasingly supporting green founders or teams of founders since last year. Since June 2019, 22 start-ups have been brought in for funding. The Green Start-up Special Program is enjoying high demand and a further increase in the proportion of female founders. Applications are open at any time at.
www.dbu.de/startup
Read more or listen:
More about the DBU Start-up Program: Interview with Dr. Stefanie Grade and Dr.-Ing. Jörg Lefèvre, both DBU, on YouTube.
The website for the program: www.dbu.de/startup
More on the topic: DBU-funded Green Start-up Monitor 2020 by Borderstep Institute and the German Start-up Association.
Translated with Deepl.
