Israeli agricultural researchers have successfully mass cultivated a form of mycorrhizal fungi as a natural method for boosting plant crop yield and nutrition: Groundwork’s Rootella is a desert-hardy, highly concentrated strain of mycorrhizal fungus that results from 25 years of breeding, research and field trials in cooperation with Israel’s Volcani Institute Agricultural Research Organization.
This “good” fungus extends plant roots by a factor of up to 100, allowing plants to better absorb water and soil nutrients from fertilizers and compost.
“As the plants get more nutrients, farmers get higher yield,” Groundwork BioAg cofounder and vice president of sales and marketing Dan Grotsky tells ISRAEL21c. “Secondly, they save on water and fertilizers.”
The process is completely eco-friendly and natural, he adds. “Mycorrhiza exist nearly everywhere in the world, but they’ve been depleted by modern agriculture techniques. We’re not introducing chemicals but rather an organism that is an important part of healthy soil. We are restoring the natural balance.”
Like truffles, this type of mycorrhizal fungus is difficult to produce cost-effectively.
“There are many vendors of mycorrhiza in the world but very few producers,” says Grotsky. “Mostly it’s found in niche markets today for plants that require mycorrhiza to grow well, like corn, sorghum, onions, garlic and cannabis. You’ll also find it in organics and other high-margin crops, as well as turf. We have a perpetual, exclusive, global license for this technology, making Rootella uniquely cost effective so we can compete in mainstream agriculture.”
The company is busily building distribution channels and looking for distribution partners.
To find out more, please visit groundworkbioag.com