In the News

View the interview with Greg Sword, professor of entomology at Texas A&M, on KBTX.

• Beneficial microbes—referred to as endophytes—are sourced in nature and can be re-introduced into the plant through seed coating to improve plant health in agriculture      
• Researchers at Indigo and the Austrian Institute of Technology demonstrated that a novel spray technique on flowers enables the transfer of beneficial microbes into its seeds     
• The plants grown from the seeds produced by the treated flowers demonstrated improved growth and increased yield 

Boston, Massachusetts, February 28, 2017 - Indigo, a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help growers sustainably feed the planet, announced today the publication of research to improve the microbiome of crop plants. Plants depend upon a complex environment that contains beneficial bacteria and fungi for healthy growth and development. Some microbes that live within the plant itself are known as ‘endophytes’ and are fundamental to the health of plants. Until now, data have shown that these beneficial microbes can be incorporated into plants via association with the soil, or by coating endophytes directly onto seeds.  

By Clive Cookson

• Indigo™ Cotton demonstrated an average yield improvement of 11% in the target environment of West Texas
• Farmers experienced productivity gains in diverse growing conditions without increased use of water or agricultural chemicals
• Novel R&D platform and economic proposition enable continuous innovation in cotton and other crops

Boston, Massachusetts, January 9, 2017 - Indigo, a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help growers sustainably feed the planet, announced preliminary data from its first commercial product, Indigo™ Cotton. Launched in the spring of 2016 on approximately 50,000 acres across multiple states, Indigo Cotton is a seed treatment based on naturally occurring, in-plant microbes (endophytes). Indigo Cotton has been developed to help increase water use efficiency, with the goal of improving yields when plants are growing under water stress.

At the former Hood dairy plant, scientists working for Indigo Agriculture are trying to coax bacteria and fungi to produce supercharged versions of everyday plants. If they succeed, farmers could begin harvesting crops that require less water and fewer pesticides, all without having to mess with a plant’s DNA. There’s a lot of money betting they can pull it off.

At Indigo, we seek to partner with academic institutions worldwide in their research dedicated to the plant microbiome. These partnerships are essential as we work to bring innovative microbial products to growers. We are always eager to expand our network of academic collaborators, and are excited to share this news of our recent partnership with Flinders University in South Australia.

By Sarah Zhang

By Brian Gormley

A couple of Arkansans are key parts of a Massachusetts agritech research firm's plans to spend some $100 million to help farmers raise crops on less water and eventually help feed the planet's population more efficiently.

By Greg Ryan

Boston, Massachusetts, July 21, 2016 — Indigo, a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet, announced today that it has closed a $100 million Series C investment, the largest private equity financing in the agriculture technology sector. The round was led by the $54 billion Alaska Permanent Fund, with participation from previous investors, including Flagship Ventures, Altitude Life Science Ventures and members of the management and board. The new funds will be applied to expand ongoing research and development efforts, to extend Indigo’s team, and to scale commercial operations in preparation for the launch of the company’s second product offering later this year. As part of its long­term commitment to Indigo, the Alaska Permanent Fund also intends to invest a similar amount in Indigo’s future financings.

By Olivia Vanni

By Dylan Martin

By Editorial Staff

By Dan Primack

By Mike Orcutt

By Iris Dorbian

By Signe Brewster 

By Alex Brokaw

By Heather Somerville

By Frank Vinluan

By Tomio Geron

By Lauren Manning

By Ariel Schwartz

By Curt Woodward

By Geoffrey Mohan

By Natalie Shoemaker

By Ben Popper 

By Adele Peters

By Nidhi Subbaraman

By Beth Kowitt

By Mike Orcutt

By Lora Kolodny

By Matthew Lynley