PONTIAC, Ill. – A California-based agricultural technology company is putting a new crop-saving product to the test in Illinois fields, and Central Illinois farmers will soon get a chance to see it firsthand.
Green Evolution Technologies is conducting on-farm trials of its InteliGel Hydrogel Technology across Illinois, according to 25 News. Governor Pritzker recently praised the company for supporting a strong future for Illinois agriculture.
The product starts as a salt-like material before transforming into a gel when it comes into contact with water. Once activated, it can absorb up to 3,000 times its own weight while continuously releasing water and nutrients directly where crops need them.
Company co-founder Zarzand Alaverdyan compared it to a familiar household product.
“It’s basically what a diaper does for a kid. It absorbs the water that’s coming in, the nutrients in one spot. The plant sees it, penetrates it and basically has everything it needs in one spot,” Alaverdyan said.
The company’s unique manufacturing process also allows nutrients to be incorporated into the gel during production, giving farmers the ability to predict and plan nutrient release cycles.
Chief agronomist Chad Godsey said the product could be especially valuable during drought conditions common in the Midwest.
“The thing that makes InteliGel unique is that it maybe buffers the impact of Mother Nature,” Godsey said. “Definitely reduces the impact from some of those extended drought periods that we may see in the Midwest.”
Godsey added the material naturally breaks down in soil within one to three years. The company believes the technology could be applied to a wide variety of crops beyond soybeans.
Green Evolution Technologies has been working with Tremont-based Precision Planting for three years, conducting baseline trials at their PTI Research Farm. This year marked the company’s first set of on-farm trials.
The company is targeting a full-scale launch in 2028 and has long-term plans to expand to more than 20 facilities, including one in Illinois.
Farmers and agriculture professionals can get a closer look at the technology at a demonstration event hosted by Green Evolution Technologies and Precision Planting on August 19 at the PTI Research Farm, located at 1701 S. Deerfield Road in Pontiac.
The event features two sessions. The morning session runs from 9 a.m. to noon, and the afternoon session runs from 2 to 5 p.m.
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