New technology increases cannabis crop yields by more than 200%

Who wouldn't want to increase their crop yields by 200%? Roots Sustainable Agricultural Technologieshas invented a system for regulating the temperature of agricultural crops and tested it on cannabis. The Israeli company has just published the results of these tests. They were carried out on open-air crops in Washington State in October and November last year, under very harsh climatic conditions, and the results are very encouraging.

Growing in extreme conditions

RZTO technology heats crop roots to keep them at a stable temperature despite external fluctuations. The system is therefore able to cool or heat the soil in the root zone by around 10°C. In this way, despite harsh weather conditions such as frost, the root temperature remains optimal and crops develop quickly and smoothly, improving yields and speeding up harvesting.

«Unlike traditional heating systems that are energy and capital intensive, RZTO effectively combats extreme outdoor weather conditions to significantly increase crop yields and profitability,» explains Dr. Sharon Devir, CEO of Roots.

Maximizing performance

The experiment was carried out on 81 cannabis plants of eight different varieties, with approximately the same number of unheated plants in the control group. The interim results of the experiment, published in December, had already shown that the average weight of undried cannabis in the heated plants had increased from 40 to 272%.

The final results have just been published and show that the average weight of dried, non-trimmed cannabis flowers - including small leaves - is 60% to 283% higher than that of unheated plants. However, leaf yield is also increased by the heating system, with more waste as a result.

«The global cannabis market offers significant opportunities for our targeted heating and cooling technology, with promising results already achieved in both greenhouse and outdoor applications. Based on current market prices, the performance of our RZTO technology suggests that growers could generate additional revenue of $150,000 to $300,000 for 2,800 m² per season,» explains the company. It also points to a return on investment of around one year.