In nature’s growing cycle, pollination is a vital step. A majority of all flowering plants require insects, birds, and natural elements like the wind as pollinators. But new environmental challenges, including diminishing insect populations and changing weather patterns, are raising concerns about relying on traditional methods in agriculture alone.
According to agricultural technology brand Edete, precision pollination might be a cornerstone in the next era of farming. Current artificial pollination methods, such as hand pollination, are not scalable and leave much to be desired due to unpredictable pollen quality and uncontrollable distribution. The company’s two-part system delivers viable pollen to guarantee dependable pollination.
“As a farmer or grower, you are always trying to work with nature. But it throws a lot of variables at us, including these growing challenges when it comes to pollination,” explains Edete’s Ed Surber, who serves as the company’s chief executive officer of U.S. operations.
Through its proprietary research, industry expertise, and rigorous product development, Edete pinpointed the necessity of clean and viable pollen in precision pollination. The more potent the pollen, says Surber, the higher the chances of fertilization success. The company has incorporated that finding into each step of its technology. Edete uses mechanical harvesting to pick and separate pollen from blooms. It can store germinable pollen for up to several years using a proprietary method that ensures viability.
“If we don’t have good quality, clean pollen, nothing else works. We use a specialized pollen bank that adapts to climate changes but also matches up the best pollinizer with each commercial crop regardless of the timing of their bloom,” he says about the AI-powered approach to precision pollination. “This guarantees, and a lot of the time, increases crop yield for a farm.”
After collection and storage, it is time for distribution. Edete’s 2Be™ autonomous pollinator units dispense pollen using proprietary algorithms and accurate dozing capabilities while ensuring viability through the entire shift. Currently, the system has shown success in California pistachio and Israeli almond orchards. In addition, the company plans to expand into the U.S. almond market next, following by other crops such as cherries and avocados in the near future. Edete’s process helps ensure pollen is carefully measured for optimal fertilization while maintaining its fragile viability.
According to Surber, the 2Be™ Artificial Pollination units can operate around the clock throughout a pollination season, vastly increasing a farmer’s window of opportunity. The company has tested its commercial system in pistachio groves across northern California for the past three years, adding new growers each year. This included 500 acres in 2022 and more than 800 in 2023. Early in this testing process, crops that received supplemental pollination treatments saw a significant increase in crop yield compared to control crops, according to a company-published case study.
But a larger harvest is not the only benefit farmers see with precision pollination. By minimizing the risk of cross-contamination, Edete preserves the genetic purity of crops. Uniformity and consistency in pollination can also mean better crop quality, which also drives up the market value of the produce.
It can also help address the logistical nightmare of harvesting different varieties within a crop. For example, almond farms must plant alternating rows of nut varieties to ensure cross-pollination. This means an orchard can contain up to four different types of almonds, Surber points out, which can make harvesting a challenge if the different varieties are not ready to harvest at the same time.
Farmers might repeat the harvesting process up to four different times, costing them money in labor and materials. When used as a primary pollination method, Edete’s mechanical process means a grower can opt for just one variety in a single orchard, minimizing their harvest and farming costs.
As Edete prepares to expand its technology to new crop types, Surber and his team see great potential for success: “For the longest time, pollination was one area that didn’t see any sort of advancement…yet it is such a crucial part of the growing process. Technology is going to let us scale this new approach to pollination to help farming keep up with global demand.” Learn more about Edete’s advanced precision pollination process at www.edetepta.com.
