Particle magic

• “We’re kind of cheating the plant to capture more light,” shared Co-founder & CEO of 500-backed agritech company Qarbotech, Chee Hoe Chor.
• Their technology was developed by Co-founder and Chief Scientist Dr. Suraya Abdul Rashid, who used nanoscale carbon particles in her experiments.
• These particles have applications in everything from cancer diagnosis to LED screens. They have the ability to remove carbon dioxide, so Dr. Suraya thought, why not apply this in agriculture?
• Chee Hoe shared that Qarbotech is the first to apply this technology directly to plants. The carbon dots penetrate leaves and interact with the tiny food factories in plants to optimize the process of turning sunlight into energy.
• This improves the health and robustness of the plants, shortening crop cycles and enhancing quality and nutrient absorption, enabling farmers to increase yields and potentially reduce fertilizer use.
• According to Chee Hoe, rice farmers using their product called Qarbogrow can get a return of US$5 for every dollar they spend on it.
• “It varies, but we are talking about a 10-50% improvement in their rice tonnage harvested. On a higher-value crop like lettuces, the ROI could be 10x,” he added.
• Unlike other solutions, Qarbogrow can be used on all plant crops and even microalgae. It’s also inert, so it can be mixed with other crop inputs and won’t react with them.
• The team is producing 20,000 liters a month at their facility, and with the recent fundraise, they aim to increase that to 100,000 liters by March 2025.
• Read the full story here.