Innovations for World Nutrition (IFWN), Florence, Ala., has announced its first issued U.S. patent. It deals with the early growth of plants and increased yields for grains, particularly rice.
IFWN said the technology involves the feeding of CO2 (carbon dioxide) to the initial roots of the plant, while also providing an energy source to the forming roots, which stimulates plant growth prior to the formation of leaves.
The company said the CO2 is provided by biocarbonates of sodium, potassium, and ammonium in combination with urea, with energy coming from sugar-containing chemicals.
The company said yield increased 50 percent over base cases in greenhouse work. It said the plants with CO2 and sugar grow faster and stay green longer, thereby increasing yield.
In addition to the now issued U.S. Patent Number 11,040,920 B2, IFWN said it has filed for eight additional U.S. patents dealing with CO2 usage and early growth technologies.
Some five years of development work continues at Applied Chemical Technology (ACT) in Florence, Ala., under the director of ACT founder Ray Shirley (GM May 1, 2020; April 5, 2019).