RootsIn RootsOut develops plants that release water into the soil through the roots
StartupRealities No 72
RootsIn RootsOut is a life sciences and genomics research company which is developing genetically modified (GM) plant roots that can sequentially absorb and release water. Essentially the goal of the company is to develop a genetic switch in plants that reverses the normal roots-to-leaves circulation of water and nutrients. When the switch is turned on, the plant channels water in the opposite direction: from the trunk/stalk down to the roots. In this state of "pumping out water", the water transpires through root pores into the soil. The minerals from the soil dissolve in the water released around the roots and the roots then re-absorb the mineral-enriched water back into the plant.
CEO QUOTE
"You know how spiders digest their prey: they expel digestive enzymes into the insect body and then suck up the liquefied digested tissues. RootsIn RootsOut aims to develop a similar type of interaction between plant roots and the soil, but with a much slower frequency of switching between the two stages of water release and water absorption. Breathing in and breathing out in the lungs takes place every several seconds, while the optimal frequency of switching states follows a circadian rhythm: water absorption during daytime and water release at night. This genetic modification would be particularly relevant to agriculture in nutrient-poor equatorial regions that get significant rainfall. It can also be a huge benefit to irrigation agriculture by minimising water loss in the soil," said company founder and CEO Ruth Ingram.
RootsIn RootsOut is a life sciences and genomics research company which is developing genetically modified (GM) plant roots that can sequentially absorb and release water. Essentially the goal of the company is to develop a genetic switch in plants that reverses the normal roots-to-leaves circulation of water and nutrients. When the switch is turned on, the plant channels water in the opposite direction: from the trunk/stalk down to the roots. In this state of "pumping out water", the water transpires through root pores into the soil. The minerals from the soil dissolve in the water released around the roots and the roots then re-absorb the mineral-enriched water back into the plant.
CEO QUOTE
"You know how spiders digest their prey: they expel digestive enzymes into the insect body and then suck up the liquefied digested tissues. RootsIn RootsOut aims to develop a similar type of interaction between plant roots and the soil, but with a much slower frequency of switching between the two stages of water release and water absorption. Breathing in and breathing out in the lungs takes place every several seconds, while the optimal frequency of switching states follows a circadian rhythm: water absorption during daytime and water release at night. This genetic modification would be particularly relevant to agriculture in nutrient-poor equatorial regions that get significant rainfall. It can also be a huge benefit to irrigation agriculture by minimising water loss in the soil," said company founder and CEO Ruth Ingram.
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| Plant roots (image source: Wikipedia) |
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