A California-based start-up says specially designed acoustic signals can increase crop yields and reduce water use without genetic engineering or chemicals. Haivya reports results from trials on multiple plant species.
Haivya has developed a patent-pending Bioacoustic Cultivation and Communication Protocol, or BCCP, that exposes plants to layered sounds and frequencies played through standard speakers at volumes under 80 decibels.
In a paper posted online last week, the company described trials across seven species, including bell peppers, soybeans and cannabis. Two BCCP protocols produced yield increases of 42 per cent and 59 per cent respectively, along with a 14 per cent faster growth cycle and lower water consumption compared with controls.
A separate third-party trial on cannabis plants found a 90 per cent rise in sellable biomass and 34 per cent less water use. The sounds vary by growth stage, starting at germination and shifting to target root expansion in seedlings or bud sites later.
Founder Andrea Ott-Dahl said the approach differs from earlier experiments because the protocol targets specific outcomes rather than applying sound generally. University of Wisconsin-Madison researcher Simon Gilroy noted that plants respond to sound but said the mechanism remains unclear and the paper has not yet been peer-reviewed.