Verne Bio, a biotech company specializing in genetic and pathogen testing for the cannabis market, has partnered with Santa Cruz-based Artificial Intelligence outfit Neatleaf™ to further enhance the accuracy of their testing with the use of 24/7, real-time data captured by the Neatleaf Spyder system. The symbiotic partnership between the two companies began in July 2024, Verne Bio states.
The goal of this partnership is risk mitigation to cultivators in their growing processes through genetic and pathogen testing, remediating or eliminating those risks through genetic crop steering and in turn, increasing productivity and operators’ bottom lines, according to the company.
“I couldn’t ask for a better partnership than this one with Verne Bio. Their CEO, Nathan Johnson and his team have such an aligned vision to ours in terms of helping cultivators big and small use the power of accurate data and precise testing to elevate their operations,“ said Neatleaf CEO Elmar Mair in a news release.
Finding the Roots of Plant Stress
Neatleaf’s Spyder system provides precise data and analytics correlating plant stress with pathogens to assist Verne Bio in better understanding the symptoms and impact of different root causes of plant stress such as pests, bacteria, fungi, viruses and nutrient deficiencies, the company states.
With recent exposés about high levels of pesticides being found in products at some California dispensaries, the need for pathogen testing is all the more important as cannabis and hemp operators look to minimize crop risk while increasing productivity and output, according to the company.
Verne Bio CEO Nathan Johnson said, “Neatleaf is exactly who we need as a partner because of our shared mission in the adoption of technology to advance and improve the grow process for the cannabis industry.”
