Dirt is home to more than 25% of the biodiversity on Earth. The women-led startup Trace Genomics is working to reverse human-caused soil erosion. For more GainsInGreenTech like this, check out this story and others in the series.
In response to this challenge, Trace specializes in metagenomics, which uses similar technology as a doctor might use to test a patient's stomach microbiome. But instead of sampling the microbes managing our gut health, it aims to sequence the DNA of all the microbes in a soil sample.
Trace has one of the largest agricultural-soil databases in the world. One feature allows Trace to give farmers a score based on the presence of biodiversity, water, nutrients, and carbon in the soil. Based on that score, investors can better judge the soil sustainability of the product grown there. The two researchers first built a lab to diagnose diseases in berries and lettuce. Seven years later, Trace's system can give disease reports for more than 70 different crops. Mike Toelle grows soybeans, corn, and alfalfa on his family-owned farm on the border of Minnesota and South Dakota. For the past five years, he's been helping Trace gather data as part of its pilot program."Initially, it was almost overwhelming because there's so much information," Toelle said.
After the sequencer runs for 25 to 30 hours, they've generated up to five gigabytes of data that they analyze, upload to their digital platform, and share with the farmer in various forms, such as color-coded maps.
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