Agriwater Innovation Discovery

Bruno Molle, the EIA executive Advisor participated to the jury of Agri Water Innovation discovery, a contest on innovations related to water use in irrigated agriculture, organized by Agro Innovation Lab and the Austrian ministry of agriculture, on Thursday 21 November 2024, in Vienna, Austria.

Two innovations were awarded among 10 extracted from 75 initial applications.

The 10 innovations are shortly reported in the doc attached and were presented in 10 minutes plus 5 minutes questions.

Below is a list of the most noteworthy innovations, all with scientific references :

• Elicit plant (winner): the use of plant extracted physterols to enhance the plants water stress resistance, reduces around 20% the water consumption, for a cost per hectare around 35€, French company, is interested in becoming member;
• Soil scout: electric conductivity sensor, wireless, long life duration (20years) without intervention, can be buried at 2m, Finish company, interested to be member;
• Finapp: a cosmic ray sensor that can analyze soil humidity over a radius of 200m, can be installed on mobile machines, membership to discuss;
• Molear: injection of nanobubbles to prevent drippers clogging, improve fertilizers use efficiency, prevent soil sealing, can withstand application through spinklers, membership to discuss;
• Vegetal signals: develops a sensor based on concept developed for health application, measuring the electromagnetic conductivity of sap in perennial plants, a French company, that is interested in being member;
• Rain2soil (second awarded): devlops an irrigation robot based on a reel machine that can cover complicated plots (shaope en soil strorage capacity), expensive today but may decrease further, from Germany, interested in being member;
• Watersight: an optical sensor to analyze in real time the change in wtaer quality, dedicated to potable water yet but may apply to greenhouses and water/fertilizers quality control, from Israel;
• Waterwarrior: pellets that can trap diffuse Phosphorus in water and be reused as an amendment in the fields, a US company, to be contacted for membership.