Elicit Plant reduces water consumption in crops by using phytosterols to mitigate drought stress. The company aims to help agriculture adapt to climate change by reducing the stress of water shortages for field crops. Phytosterols are lipids that function as the building blocks of cell membranes, activating the physiological defense mechanisms of plants in response to environmental stress. By formulating a phytosterol-based solution, Elicit Plant helps plants be more resistant and better adapted to drought stress. The plants are treated with a foliar spray containing phytosterols, and this process stimulates root growth, which is essential to increasing the reservoir of water that the roots can access. Under drought conditions, phytosterols regulate stomata opening, which are pores that enable gas exchange between plants and the environment. When water is scarce, this solution stimulates a partial closure of stomata via a signaling molecules cascade. Elicit Plant’s current products include solutions for maize, wheat, and sunflower, which can reduce water consumption by 20%. Building resilience by enhancing a crop’s natural capacity is also more sustainable, cost-effective, and efficient than implementing new chemicals and ingredients.
