Magnetic sprayer attracts attention
Irish start-up, Agricultural Magnetics, trading as MagGrow, has won the opportunity to pitch to leading agriculture Venture Capitalists for funding of up to $5 million.
The company says its magnetic spraying technology system reduces spray by more than 80%, and delivers superior crop coverage by facilitating fine spray droplets
The magnetic inserts attached onto a sprayer imparts an electromagnetic charge into the sprayed liquid.
Because all living plants and soil have a magnetic field, the magnetically charged liquid is attracted to its target.
The MagGrow system can be easily fitted to new or existing spray equipment including crop sprayers, backpack sprayers, greenhouse gantry sprayers, aerial sprayers, air blast sprayers, and centre pivot irrigation systems.
MagGrow is headquartered at NovaUCD, the Centre for New Ventures at University College Dublin.
Claimed benefits of its technology include increased profitability through chemical savings; increased productivity through increased spray windows and spray capacity; and it is better for the environment.
Trials of the MagGrow system in the Netherlands showed more than 25% chemical savings and water rate reduction, more than 20% disease reduction, and more than 10% yield improvement. Trials in the US showed more than 20% weed reduction and 10% yield improvement.
Conversion of a typical 24m crop sprayer would require at least six main magnet housings, one boom arm magnet housing per boom section, and one nozzle adaptor per nozzle.
Through the eight-week Thrive Accelerator Programme in California, participating companies will benefit from high-level mentorship and collaboration.
Over 200 start-ups from 35 countries applied to take part in the 2016 programme. Over 30 were chosen to pitch to senior competition judges. The winning companies will participate in the 2016 Forbes AgTech Summit in July.
Nuritas Research, the Irish bioinformatics start-up, participated on the 2015 Thrive Accelerator Programme and was the winner of the overall 2015 Thrive Accelerator Award.
MaGrow CEO Gary Wickham said: “We are truly delighted to be selected to the final 12 companies on the 2016 Thrive Accelerator Programme.”
Earlier this year MagGrow won the 2016 LAMMA Innovation Award for the Best Product or Innovation for the Environment category. LAMMA is the UK’s leading farm machinery, equipment and services show.
MagGrow, founded in 2013 by Gary Wickham, Derek Wickham and David Moore, employs 12.
