As heatwaves and droughts become more frequent, French agtech company Elicit Plant is reporting stronger interest in its crop resilience products that aim to cut water use while sustaining harvests. The firm promotes a preventative spray derived from phytosterols, naturally occurring plant compounds, which it says helps crops cope with water stress across extensive arable areas.
Demand driven by climate pressure on growers
Speaking at the World Agri‑Tech Innovation Summit in London, Elicit Plant’s co‑founder and chief executive, Jean‑François Duchamp, described how increasing heat and drought episodes are prompting farmers to seek technologies that protect yields without increasing irrigation demands. He said the company’s solutions have shown encouraging results under those conditions.
“Heat waves and drought events are clearly having a significant impact on growers in many countries,”
The company’s products are applied as a preventative spray treatment and are aimed at broadacre crops — those grown across large contiguous areas rather than in small plots — where water management and productivity are closely linked to profitability.
Which crops and claimed benefits
Elicit Plant highlights use of its phytosterol spray on cereals and oilseeds, including:
- corn
- soybeans
- sunflower
- wheat
The company states its approach improves water‑use efficiency while protecting or enhancing yields, offering farmers both environmental and economic advantages when water is scarce.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Active basis | Phytosterol‑based spray (plant-derived compounds) |
| Application | Preventative foliar treatment |
| Target crops | Corn, soybeans, sunflower, wheat |
| Promised outcomes | Improved water efficiency and yield protection |
Context: growers responding to volatile weather
Farmers are confronting more variable weather patterns as climate change alters seasonal norms, with hotter summers and longer dry spells in many regions. Technologies that reduce dependence on irrigation or that enable crops to maintain production under water stress are therefore gaining attention at agricultural trade shows and in commercial trials.
At the London summit, the firm also pointed attendees towards wider discussions and interviews on resilience and innovation. AgNavigator, which hosted interviews at the event, confirmed the content will be available in a webinar series, with a session due to be made available on demand from 4 November.
Implications for farmers and the sector
If the product delivers consistently across regions and seasons, it could be of particular interest to growers in areas where irrigation is limited or costly. For arable farmers managing large acreages, even modest improvements in water efficiency or yield preservation can translate into significant operational savings.
However, independent field studies, regulatory approvals and broader adoption across diverse soils and climates will be necessary to establish the technology’s effectiveness beyond initial demonstrations. The agri‑innovation community typically looks for replicated, peer‑reviewed results or long‑term trial data before declaring widespread benefit.
For policymakers and agricultural advisers, such technologies form part of a wider toolbox that includes cropping choices, irrigation infrastructure, soil management and revised agronomy to adapt to climate stressors. Suppliers like Elicit Plant argue their products can complement those measures by giving crops a physiological boost when water is limited.
As extreme weather events increase in frequency, the commercial uptake of water‑saving agricultural inputs is likely to remain an important trend for the sector — and one that will attract close scrutiny from farmers, researchers and regulators alike.
