Indigo announces significant yield gains in winter wheat

• Indigo Wheat™ demonstrates an average yield improvement of 15.7% in expected conditions and 8.3% across all conditions in the water-stressed target region of Kansas

Boston, Massachusetts, August 29, 2017 – Indigo Ag, Inc., a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, released preliminary data from its microbial seed treatment for wheat. Indigo’s second commercial product, Indigo Wheat™ was launched in the fall of 2016 on approximately 20,000 acres across multiple states and was recently harvested. The seed treatment, developed from naturally occurring, in-plant microbes, increases the productivity of wheat plants by improving plant tolerance to water stress.

Data collected to date show that wheat grown from seeds coated with Indigo™ microbes produced an 8.3% average yield increase when compared to wheat grown from seeds coated only with a standard chemical package. These data come from growers’ commercial fields instead of more typical small plot trials. Yield improvements were achieved without increased water or chemical use. Regions with yields below 60 bushels per acre experienced even greater productivity improvements, with yield increases averaging 15.7%. This is likely linked to greater water stress in those areas. These data are consistent with the results of three years of controlled field trials.

“These results come from farmers’ fields in our community,” said Tom Clayman, President of Kauffman Seeds, Inc. “We saw an average 8% yield improvement despite the favorable growing conditions that we experienced in the 2016-2017 growing season. Average yields in this area are more like 40 to 50 bushels per acre, and Indigo demonstrated 16% yield increases in these more highly stressed conditions. A 16% increase in yield could really make the difference between farms being profitable and not.”

“These results demonstrate the potential of the plant microbiome to increase agricultural yields and do so in a way that conserves natural resources,” said David Perry, President and CEO of Indigo. “Consumers increasingly want, and are willing to pay for, high quality food, produced in a sustainable way. This allows us to pay growers a premium for producing Indigo Wheat.”

ABOUT INDIGO

Indigo is a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. With a vision of creating a world where farming is an economically desirable and accessible profession, Indigo works alongside growers to apply natural approaches, grow healthy food for all, and conserve resources for future generations. Through its production model, Indigo links growers’ expertise with its own to improve the profitability of their operations. Utilizing beneficial plant microbes to improve crop health and productivity, Indigo’s portfolio is focused on cotton, wheat, rice, corn, and soybeans. The company is headquartered in Boston, MA, with commercial and customer service based in Memphis, TN.www.indigoag.com

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