ASX-listed ag-tech company Roots Sustainable (ROO) has used its patented Root Zone Temperature Optimisation (RZTO) heating technology to increase the yield of Yardlong Beans by 40 percent more than unheated control crops.
Yardlong Beans (Vigna unguiculata sesquipedalis) are a staple crop in most Asian cuisines as well as equatorial Africa and South America.
The results came from a grower in Southern Israel who purchased Roots’ RZTO system and conducted the growing in hoop houses during the Israeli winter from November 2018 to March 2019. The region is arid and known for severe temperature fluctuations between day and night. Using the hybrid coil-based ground source heat exchange and heat pump version of Roots’ RZTO system, the roots of Yardlong Beans plants were heated at night to around 20 degrees. This stabilised the plants despite air temperatures in the hoop house frequently dropping to five degrees while roots of control plantings fluctuated between 13 and 18 degrees.
A traditional warm-climate crop, the heated Yardlong Beans plants continued to grow throughout the winter months, whereas the control crop without the benefit of Roots RZTO technology virtually stopped growing from December onwards.
Roots CEO, Dr Sharon Devir said, “The Yardlong Beans family is cultivated for human food throughout Asia, northern Africa and Southern America and is a staple of most Asian cuisines. However, a challenge for these crops that are generally grown around the tropics and temperate areas is that cool temperatures significantly impact the production and quality of the harvest. So they’re typically only grown in summer months. Our RZTO heating and cooling technology has mitigated external weather conditions, allowing the farmer to grow Yardlong Beans year-round and benefit from premium prices in the off-season.”
The farmer who grew the crops, Sharon Cheri, said, “Roots’ heating technology has lengthened our growing cycle, increased crop yield and reduced incidences of plant disease. In addition, root zone heating uses significantly less energy than air heating systems.”
To view a video explaining the difference in yields go to rootssat.com/press/.
