Plants are already expressive, in some respects—they wilt from being underwatered, for example, or their leaves can shrivel up if they get too much sun.

But tech companies are trying to more precisely understand what plants are going through by stringing together sensors, software, and science, and selling farmers integrated platforms that aim to help them get the most out of their crops.

• And just like bamboo, these companies are growing fast: According to Pitchbook, the precision agriculture market reached $7.8 billion in 2021 and is expected to nearly double to $13.9 billion by 2026.

One example

PhyTech, an Israeli precision ag company, has raised over $43.5 million in funding since its founding in 2011. The company sells an IoT platform to farmers that consists of proprietary dendrometer sensors for crops, which measure the contractions and expansions of their trunks—an indicator of how watered and healthy the plant is.

• It also integrates soil sensors to track moisture, and weather sensors to keep tabs on atmospheric conditions.
• PhyTech displays a connected crop’s real-time condition in its app, which provides farmers a color-coded overview of their fields that they can use to treat and water specific areas rather than blanketing the entire field.

PhyTech works with a variety of crops, including almonds, apples, cherries, avocado, kiwi, soybeans, and corn, in locales around the world like the US, Australia, Israel, Serbia, the UK, and South America.

• The company claims that it covers 70% of almond trees in Australia, which was the world’s third-largest exporter of almonds in 2020.

Bottom line: Amir Lin, marketing director at PhyTech, told us the idea is that all of these sensors in concert will help farmers manage their crops with a detailed, bird’s-eye view of the condition of their plants, rather than making general adjustments to their farms as a whole.

“Farming has been late to adopt to the digital transformation that we experienced as consumers, practically in every area of our life,” Lin said.

Read about other “IoP” companies here.—JM

Last week, we published a profile of IBM’s Jerry Chow, one of the most influential people in the early—but potentially revolutionary—world of quantum computing.

Today…We’re taking you on a tour of the IBM research facility where Chow works. The space has unfamiliar sights, like a mini semiconductor fabrication plant or massive, golden, steampunky refrigeration systems called quantum chandeliers. But it also has normal office stuff like, uh, hallways. And people.

Check out our exclusive photos from inside the lab where IBM is pushing forward the future of quantum computing.

Coworking is a weekly segment where we spotlight Emerging Tech Brew readers who work with emerging technologies. Click here if you’d like a chance to be featured.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in tech?

I design and install charging infrastructure for electric vehicles—like gas stations for EVs. We provide the infrastructure to the charger itself. We design it from the meter to the charging station.

What’s your favorite emerging tech project you’ve worked on?

My favorite part about my job is defining what it actually is that my team does for our clients. We design and install charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. It’s a critical piece of the electrification transition, and no one knows how to solve it. As the business development manager for an emerging business line at my company, I get to create a lot of new content that communicates our services to different types of clients. It challenges me to learn as much as I can about the market so that I understand where the key pain points are.

What emerging tech are you most optimistic about? Least? And why?

I am most optimistic about satellite internet because I think it will revolutionize education and improve quality of life in developing countries.

Funny enough, as committed as I am to the EV industry, I’m pretty bearish on autonomous vehicles. I have a Tesla and love the Level 2/3 autonomous features, but as far as getting to fully autonomous rideshare services, I’m skeptical about the safety in fringe cases (inclement weather, construction, parking lots, etc.) and still think it’s a long way off.

What’s the best piece of tech-related media you’ve read/watched/listened to?

I love the YouTube channel Fully Charged. Tons of great content on the EV industry.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile?

I love music theory! It’s like communicating in a whole new language. It’s mathematical and scientific, yet incredibly expressive and personal.

Stat: The 10 most populous cities in the US have some form of “chief innovation officer” role.

Quote: “The launch industry is at a point where the technology is so mature that it may not be necessary to have the US government invest in it. It may be we’re at a tipping point with this rocket.”—Dan Goldin, a former NASA administrator, to the Wall Street Journal

Read: You’ve heard of quantum computing…how about quantum ransomware?

What does it take to thrive? For organizations in this new era of work, thriving looks like personalized support, finding clarity in chaos, and knowing which tools best fight burnout. Learn more in Asana’s U.S. Anatomy of Work Report 2022.*

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In this week’s trivia: return-to-work, venture funding, and quantum computing.

Click here to play.

For a weed-zapping laser truck: Oh, and apparently it’s all powered by computer vision? IDK, check it out for yourself.

For NASA’s big mission: Inside the agency’s plan to go to the moon. Again.

Last week, we launched IT Brew specifically for IT professionals looking to stay in the know—and have a little fun while doing it.

From cybersecurity to big data to software development to gaming, IT Brew drops all the latest industry news, trends, and insights right into your inbox twice a week.

Click here to subscribe.

This editorial content is supported by Robin.

Catch up on the top Emerging Tech Brew stories from the past few editions:

• Want an electric vehicle? Get ready to wait
• Starlink struck its first in-flight wi-fi deals. Here’s what it means
• Meet the man building the future of quantum for IBM, qubit by qubit