

Innovating agriculture with extremophile technology for better crop yields in extreme environments
The challenge in agriculture is significant: traditional farming struggles in extreme environments like high altitude deserts or degraded soils, limiting where crops can be grown. Additionally, there's a pressing need to boost agricultural productivity even in fertile soils to meet the growing global food demand. With the world's population projected to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050, agriculture must innovate to expand viable farming areas and enhance yields in existing ones to ensure future food security. What if there was a way to improve crop yields using microorganisms that thrive in extreme conditions?
What is the Solution?
Puna Bio's solution to enhancing agricultural productivity and expanding crop cultivation in harsh environments hinges on their groundbreaking use of extremophile bioinoculants. These bioinoculants are derived from extremophiles - microorganisms that thrive in extreme environmental conditions, such as high salinity, extreme temperatures, or acidic or alkaline environments. Extremophiles are adept at surviving in environments that are usually hostile to most forms of life.
Puna Bio has achieved a significant milestone in agriculture with the development of the world’s first extremophile bioinoculant. This innovative product, created through advanced genetic engineering and biotechnology, harnesses specific genes from extremophile bacteria, enabling plants to withstand various stress conditions. When used as a seed treatment, this bioinoculant transfers resilience traits to the seeds, greatly enhancing their ability to prosper in both fertile and extreme environments, including extreme climates and degraded soils, and consequently boosting crop yields by 10-15%.Puna Bio's Kunza Soja® represents a significant leap in seed treatment, developed from extremophilic bacteria to notably boost crop yields and enhance stress tolerance. This advancement reflects Puna Bio's effective collaboration among scientists, biotechnologists, and agronomists in leveraging extremophile microorganisms for superior crop nutrition. Kunza Soja® excels in improving productivity across various soil types, including fertile and saline, and is effective for a wide range of crops. Its key strengths lie in its ability to solubilize phosphorus, transform nitrogen, and produce growth-promoting substances, thereby improving root colonization. This innovation is supported by Puna Bio's research in the unique La Puna environment, reminiscent of primitive Earth, aiding in the development of techniques to strengthen plant resilience, thereby making a significant contribution to sustainable agriculture.
What EQT Foundation loves about Puna Bio
EQT Foundation loves Puna Bio for their deep commitment to sustainable agriculture, especially highlighted by their innovative use of extremophiles to boost crop yields in both fertile and extreme environments. We are particularly impressed by Puna Bio's dedication to environmental responsibility, as evidenced by their promotion of eco-friendly farming practices. This commitment, coupled with their multidisciplinary approach that merges scientific expertise with biotechnology, positions Puna Bio at the forefront of groundbreaking agricultural solutions.
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