One of the nation’s largest biotechnology companies has received a patent this week for the application of a remote-sensing system it hopes to use to build a better plant.
De Kalb Genetics Corporation (DKB), a subsidiary of Monsanto, is developing a plant-breeding system that will measure something farmers can’t see when they walk through their fields: the electromagnetic radiation emitted from different plants. The project stems from De Kalb’s work in the 1980s on corn breeding.
The company, based in De Kalb, Illinois, is the top developer of hybrid corn seeds in the United States. It used data gathered from remote-sensing satellites to determine how different corn seeds performed when grown under the same conditions. It found that different lines of corn emitted and reflected different levels of heat and light. By tracing these levels, the researchers can determine which seeds performed well and in which seasons.
The system is another example of how satellite technologies are becoming an important agricultural tool. Already, farmers are working with Global Positioning System satellites to locate and steer farming equipment.
But remote-sensing technology is relatively new to farming. These satellites cull data picked up at various locations by sensors. In turn, the sensors capture energy waves, which result from the heat and light emitted by elements such as soil and plant life.
