On June 10, 2024, Kubota Corporation and UV Boosting announced a partnership to pilot and promote innovations jointly. UV Boosting is a French start-up that offers a unique patented solution for stimulating the plant’s natural defenses through UV-C flashes, The first aim and focus for Kubota and UV Boosting is to work on sustainable solutions for the viticulture industry, which is facing global issues such as environmental regulations and climate-change impacts. A further plan is to also expand the pilot towards other crops in orchards.
UV Boosting is founded in 2017 in France and its technology is already presented in the European markets. The high-energy UV-C flashes trigger a defense mechanism in plants, enhancing the plant’s natural defenses. This allows growers to reduce their reliance on fungicides and minimize damage caused by pathogens & other abiotic stresses like spring frost or drought. UV Boosting’s unique UV-C flash technology is crop agnostic and the existing implement portfolio can be easily extended into other crops.
Kubota plans to tackle global challenges, such as environmental regulations, climate impacts, and labor shortages, by expanding community-focused operations and offering integrated solutions and technological advancements for customers.
“Increasing regulatory restrictions and environmental concerns are enabling a need for alternatives to minimize chemical inputs in specialty crops,” – says Daria Batukhtina, Strategic Business Development Manager at Kubota Innovation Center Europe. “This pilot program with several clients & dealers is a part of Kubota’s strategy to create an eco-system which allows innovation to evolve through partnerships with external businesses such as AgTech start-ups, agricultural producers, research institutes and universities.”
Customer feedback is crucial for refining Kubota’s products and services, ensuring they meet market needs effectively. By actively involving distribution partners in the innovation process, the organization could swiftly integrate valuable insights and deliver enhanced solutions that drive customer satisfaction and market success.
For the pilot program 2 countries are targeted, Italy (Brescia area) and France (Anjou). The participating dealers will manage and support UV Boosting technology during the pilot period locally and collect customer’s feedback. The distribution network already recognizes an increasing demand for new environmentally friendly solutions that enables plant self-protection though UV light stimulation.
“With this partnership Kubota is extending its scope into alternative crop protection solutions and accelerating its innovation strategy with the objective of creating new business opportunities.” – says Herve Gerard-Biard, VP Business Development, Kubota Holding Europe B.V.
Kubota’s clients will apply 4-7 treatments during the season to evaluate its technology impact on the yield results as well as the overall effectiveness on the trees’ health state. According to experts and backed by scientific evidence, UV light solutions secure the yield for organic, biodynamic or conventional wine growers.
