Roots Sustainable Agricultural Technologies Limited (ASX:ROO) today announced that its upgraded Root Zone Temperature Optimisation (RZTO) cooling system has been shown to more than double the dry flower yield in some strains of greenhouse-grown cannabis in Southern California.
Roots’ RZTO cooling system increased the yield of dry cannabis flowers by up to 118 per cent compared to uncooled crops from various strains within a climate-controlled greenhouse at Canndescent’s facilities in Southern California.
Following an initial sale of the technology to Canndescent in May 2019, Roots’ RZTO cooling system was installed by early June in a greenhouse at Canndescent’s facilities.
Canndescent has risen quickly in the three years since it was established to become the number one selling, top shelf cannabis flower in California.
Roots’ upgraded Root Zone Temperature Optimisation (RZTO) cooling system was used to stabilise the roots of cannabis plants at an optimal temperature of 21 degrees Celsius (70°F), despite ambient air temperatures within the greenhouse reaching 30°C (85°F) and outside temperatures topping 43°C (120°F).
Increases of 30 and 118 per cent were achieved during the US summer on two cannabis strains of 400 and 200 cooled plants respectively within a climate-controlled greenhouse utilising wet mattresses and fans. These results follow an initial sale to premium cannabis producer Canndescent in May with the installation completed in early June 2019.
Today’s results should translate to an immediate return on Canndescent’s investment in Roots’ RZTO cooling technology, and for Roots the results demonstrate the effectiveness of its technology in such conditions.
Roots’ CEO, Dr Sharon Devir said, “These impressive results demonstrate the effectiveness of our root zone cooling technology when used in conjunction with traditional air-cooling systems. Southern California’s dry desert climate varies considerably during the summer months, with temperatures fluctuating between 20 and 40 degrees Celsius. Extreme heat has a detrimental impact on cannabis production and crop quality.
“These results verify the effectiveness of our root zone technology on greenhouse-grown cannabis, more than doubling dry flower yield in certain strains to quickly generate a return on investment for growers while also lowering energy costs associated with traditional heating and cooling systems.
“The results also reinforce the uniqueness of our offering within the highly competitive cannabis market and are consistent with those achieved by cannabis growers in both North America and Israel.”
Daniel McClure, Canndescent’s VP Agronomist, added, “Roots’ RZTO technology complemented our existing cooling methods to significantly increase the yield of our unique cannabis strains. In addition to increased yield, Roots’ technology also increased the quality of the crops.”
