Developmental soil probe promises faster results

In the future, a probe stuck in the ground promises to measure nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous at the selected depth, as well as micronutrients, soil pH, and the moisture and organic matter of the soil.

The data from this portable laboratory will then be uploaded to the cloud, where software will perform the calculations needed to make practical recommendations that can be read on a smartphone minutes after the probe was put in the soil.

This future when growers, ranch managers or pest control advisors can hold a laboratory in the palm of their hand is not all that far away, according to the co-founder and CEO of a Canadian firm.

"We expect a commercial launch in 2021," said Samuel Fournier of Montreal-based ChrysaLabs. "We have developed a portable probe that can measure in real time soil nutrients and soil health, giving needed information within seconds to producers and agronomists, with the same exact accuracy of a laboratory."

ChrysaLabs was among agtech startups that took part this spring in the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology Grower Trial Network, which brought the entrepreneurs together with farmers who might ultimately use their products.

"A probe that allows a grower to be self-sufficient would strike me as a home run," Center for Innovation & Technology Director Dennis Donohue told Fournier. "If you're going to save people time and money, obviously that's going to get their attention."

Information collected by the probe could make it possible to target nutrient applications precisely, which would save money and improve crop yields and quality, as well as offering a report card on soil management.

"Soil analysis can lead to a 10 or 15% increase in yields while also lowering your costs," Fournier said. "We are trying to help people maximize their yields and lower their costs. The goal is to improve decision making using technology."

Labs can already provide such soil analysis, but he said the probe uses spectroscopy technology to reduce the cost and provide information in minutes rather than weeks.

"The problem is that soil sampling costs money and is time consuming," Fournier said. "The price of lab analysis makes it difficult for growers to get soil information often enough, but our solution lowers the price by 20 to 40%, compared to a lab. In the specialty crops, it also gives you the capacity for action quickly using fertigation."

Because the probe combined with the cloud gives results in minutes, he said, the information can be available in the field when management decisions must be made.

"There should be no time gap between the soil sampling and the availability of results," Fournier said. "ChrysaLabs believes that precision agriculture starts with fast and precise soil mapping."

Another piece of the program involves software that produces recommendations on where within the field to sink the probe.

"With the GPS on your phone, you can go to every location in your field that has been programmed," Fournier said. "While people are out in the field scouting for pests or diseases, why shouldn't they also be taking soil samples?"

The company already has produced a version of the probe and the accompanying software, and is working with farmers on turning a pilot program into a commercially viable alternative, ready to market.

Though Fournier said the probe and the program will go commercial in 2021, ChrysaLabs is working this year with farmers to test and improve the system.

"We are launching what we call our early-access program with partners from around North America," he said. "We want to engage with customers for feedback and we also want to increase the amount of soil data we have, to improve our algorithm. There will be 40 probes in our early-access program across North America. You will send your soil to a lab for analysis as well, and we will have access to your lab results."

Fournier said the early-access period is intended to yield documentation that will convince the more skeptical crop consultants and researchers.

"Agronomists are very conservative, so we are always comparing our results with lab analysis," he said. "We need to convince people that if they use our tool, they will have results that are as reliable as they would get from a lab. We expect to have 20,000 soil samples to compare to lab results by the end of the season."

ChrysaLabs moved to connect with farmers in the Central Coast region by affiliating with the Salinas-based Center for Innovation & Technology.

"We have a business-to-business model, focusing on industrial farms, crop consultants and ag input companies," Fournier said, adding the company has "a few partners" in California and wants to engage with others.

When the program goes commercial, he said, farmers or consultants will buy a probe and pay a recurring fee for use of the system.

"Our pricing model is to buy the hardware upfront for $3,000 and then pay a flexible price, depending on the amount of acreage you are sampling and the amount of data," Fournier said. "We are working on that pricing structure."

(Bob Johnson is a reporter in Sacramento. He may be contacted at bjohn11135@gmail.com.)