Roots Sustainable Agricultural Technologies Limited (ASX:ROO) claims to have increased the yield of dry cannabis flowers by up to 118% within a climate-controlled greenhouse in Southern California.
The company said its upgraded Root Zone Temperature Optimisation (RZTO) cooling system was used to stabilise the roots of cannabis plants at an optimal temperature of 21 degrees Celsius (70F), despite ambient air temperatures within the greenhouse reaching 30°C (85F) and outside temperatures topping 43°C (120F).
Increases of 30 and 118% were achieved during the US summer on two cannabis strains of 400 and 200 cooled plants respectively within a climate-controlled greenhouse utilising wet mattresses and fans.
Roots’ CEO Dr Sharon Devir said these results follow an initial sale to premium cannabis producer Canndescent in May with the installation completed in early June 2019.
These impressive results demonstrate the effectiveness of our root zone cooling technology when used in conjunction with traditional air-cooling systems,” Dr Devir said.
“Southern California’s dry desert climate varies considerably during the summer months, with temperatures fluctuating between 20 and 40 degrees Celsius. Extreme heat has a detrimental impact on cannabis production and crop quality.
“These results verify the effectiveness of our root zone technology on greenhouse-grown cannabis, more than doubling dry flower yield in certain strains to quickly generate a return on investment for growers while also lowering energy costs associated with traditional heating and cooling systems.”
“The results also reinforce the uniqueness of our offering within the highly competitive cannabis market and are consistent with those achieved by cannabis growers in both North America and Israel.
