Oligomer of hydrocinnamic acid temperatures . If this becomes the norm , we face a monumental challenge to global food security ." Such incidences of abiotic stress , as it is called , are not new , he observes . Plants have evolved to survive . Fyteko decided to go back to square one and discover how nature itself deals with these events . “ It ’ s an unconventional approach ,” says Wegria . “ For decades , the routine has been laboratory-led : to identify a suitable synthetic chemical that delivers the required outcome . But by going back to nature , we believe we can find safer , smarter and more sustainable solutions that will keep agriculture productive in a changing world .” Mother Nature , Fyteko found , had the answer all along : hydrocinnamic acid oligomers , which are a class of workaday plant compounds that make up part of the plant ’ s cell wall structure . Cell walls surround all plant cells , providing structural integrity , water regulation and physical protection against damage and pathogenic attack . During periods of abiotic stress , the cell wall is one of the first plant organs to be affected .
Follow the signal
The structural function of hydrocinnamic acid oligomers was already well known , but Wegria and Cabrera discovered they harboured a hitherto unknown property : the ability to act as a ‘ signal ’ molecule within the plant . Fyteko perfected and patented the biocatalytic modification of hydroxycinnamic acids , yielding what appeared to be a powerful crop biostimulant and potentially the first member in a new class of ‘ agri-biomolecules ’. Further research revealed the true purpose of this molecule . “ When applied to an otherwise healthy crop – any of the common row crops , such as wheat or maize or soybeans , for example – it appears to ‘ prime ’ the plant against abiotic stresses , preparing it to ‘ fight ’ against drought , flood , high temperatures and so on ,” says Wegria . “ You can essentially think of the signal molecule as firing up the plant ’ s own defence systems to deliver better protection and speedier recovery .” In early trials across Europe , Africa and the Americas , the biomolecule demonstrated an average yield increase of more than 10 %. Research has shown that plants respond to it when it is applied either in foliar form , or as a seed treatment . Even in the absence of stress events , yield increases of up to 8 % have been observed . Wegria believes that this
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