The precise pollination technology of the start-up company Eidit increased the yield of a pistachio plantation in California by 24%

Keren Mimran, vice president of business development and marketing at the start-up Eidit: "Artificial pollination for wind-pollinated crops will change the face of the market, the economic viability for growers and the ability to feed the world. An addition of 24% to the farmer's crop will increase farmers' income by hundreds of millions of dollars"

The Israeli agri-tech startup Idit precision technologies for agriculture (Edete) from Besmet Tivon successfully completed a first pilot of precision pollination as a supplement to wind pollination, which managed to increase the yield of a pistachio plantation in California by 24%. The company, which until now focused on the artificial pollination technology of insect-pollinated crops (such as almonds), recently expanded its services and developed a solution for artificial pollination for a variety of wind-pollinated crops, following demand from growers in the United States.

As a first step to test the solution she developed for wind-pollinated crops, Idit conducted a pilot of artificial pollination in a pistachio orchard in the Sacramento, California area. The pilot was spread over approximately 332 dunams (82 acres) which were divided into three experimental plots at different levels of maturity: a young plot where there is an initial yield in a non-commercial scale of the crop, a commercially mature plot and another commercial plot at an intermediate age.

The pilot tested several possibilities of pollination in pistachios. The pilot was carried out using the autonomous pollinator 2B^e_TM Developed by the start-up Idit for the pollination of various crops. The system carried out the artificial pollination by dispersing pure and dry pollen in a controlled and controlled dose in minute quantities, during the pistachio flowering season. The pilot yielded a 24% increase in yield (at the optimal dose) compared to the control groups, in all experimental plots.

In view of the fact that the global pistachio market is estimated at a financial volume of 9.09 billion dollars per year and the USA has a market share of 47% (according to INC data), these results have great economic significance. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average yield of pistachios in 2020 in the US was 2,810 pounds per acre (about 1,275 kg per 4 acres) and the average price per pound is $2.75. Therefore, the value of a 24% yield increase as a result of artificial pollination is an increase of about 1,850 dollars to the grower's income per acre.

The Idit company is now preparing to provide artificial pollination services to pistachio growers in California and will pollinate several thousand acres already in the upcoming blooming season, in April 2022, using the Mabiki 2B prototype^e which developed 

Keren Mimran, vice president of business development and marketing at the start-up Eidit: "Artificial pollination for wind-pollinated crops will change the face of the market, the economic viability for growers and the ability to feed the world. An addition of 24% to the farmer's crop will increase farmers' income by hundreds of millions of dollars. The extraordinary results we achieved in the experiment in California are a point for optimism at a time when agriculture is struggling with the depletion of the lands, climate crises, droughts, dwindling water sources and other natural hazards, which harm the world's food supply." 

According to Mimran, in various plantations such as pistachio, hazelnut and other crops that are pollinated by the wind, a decrease in the amount of crops has been recorded in recent years. Pollination by wind is carried out through the distribution of pollen from male flowers to female inflorescences that produce the crop, but apparently due to climate change, there has been a growing problem of a lack of flowering synchronization between male and female flowers that causes the low yields. "Our technology not only slows down the decline but increases crops at a high rate that will change the fate of many farming branches."

The start-up company Eidit develops technology for artificial pollination of agricultural crops, which is sold as a service. The technology is based on two stages: production and preservation of pollen, and controlled and controlled dispersion of pollen. The company has experimental pollen production centers in the Hula Valley and in Australia. Eidit's multidisciplinary team includes experienced researchers in the fields of botany and physics, alongside mechanical engineers.

Additional background: about artificial pollination

In nature, wind pollination is carried out in various plants, including grains and grasses, as well as other agricultural crops such as olives, dates, pistachios, walnuts, vegetable seeds and more, through the passage of pollen (the male part of the plant) in the wind from male flowers to female flowers where fertilization takes place. The effectiveness of wind pollination depends on the timing of flowering, meteorological conditions such as temperature, direction and strength of winds and other environmental conditions such as water and soil quality.

Eidit's technology includes picking flowers mechanically, separating the pollen from the flowers and preserving the pollen in storage for over two years while ensuring the quality of germination. At the time of flowering, the most genetically suitable pollen is selected and dispersed by the 2B pollinators^e_TM Effectively on flowering plantations. The technology makes use of sensors that allow the powder to be spread in optimal proximity to the plants. In addition, charging the pollen with an electrostatic charge ensures that the pollen will stick to the flowers and be absorbed by them. Eidit's system works both day and night (24 hours a day) and at any temperature.

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