Listen: Founder of MyFloraDNA, Angel Fernandez I Marti
A revolutionary agricultural technology company has opened in Davis, California; the epicenter of agricultural innovation in the U.S. MyFloraDNA provides DNA testing and an automated report on fruit and nut trees within 72 hours. These custom scans help breeders save time, water and money on crop production. It can help them specialize their crops to battle drought, disease, and more.
A new agtech company uses a single DNA genetic test to improve breeders’ profits, and they have opened in the heart of the most fertile land in the U.S., the Sacramento Valley. MyFloraDNA specializes in testing fruit and nut trees to help breeders create new varieties of crops to battle climate change, provide more nutrition and produce a greater yield. Nut and fruit trees are major cash crops in California, contributing $21.7 billion to the state’s economy annually according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
“This is revolutionary for the nut and fruit industry – because it takes years, up to 10 years sometimes, for these trees to mature. With our simple test, breeders get an answer in just days on what varieties are incorporating the genes associated with the traits they are looking for,” said Angel Fernandez i Marti, CEO & Co-Founder of MyFloraDNA.
MyFloraDNA will allow breeders to save money, time and land. Classical breeding processes cost hundreds-of-millions of dollars, but a simple genome analysis will be game-changing for this multi-billion-dollar industry. Customers can simply go onto MyFloraDNA.com and create a profile of the new variety traits they are seeking, including drought-resistant, disease-resistant fruits that provide more flavor or nuts that contain more fatty acids.
“We have a food crisis around the world, and our product is going to help breeders and farmers have a more abundant supply and help them predict the growth of their crops,” said COO & Co-Founder Javier Buendia Solis.
A sample collection kit, similar to 23andMe, allows the breeder to collect leaves from their samples and send it directly to MyFloraDNA. Breeders then receive an automated report in 72 hours. These custom genome scans allow them to make informed and educated decisions on their next steps in selecting and growing their crops.
California almond farmers alone spend $1.8 billion annually on expenses including pollination, irrigation and pesticides. MyFloraDNA can cut those costs by providing faster analysis on the crops to accelerate and optimize the cultivation process.