Just like personalized treatments, every plant and its soil has different needs, so we plan to produce microbial fertilizer supplements that support plant growth specific to each plant type.
Current Status
We attended several startup competitions like campTech anka by Ankara University, Yıldızlı Projeler, Start-Up Mock-Up by Yildiz Technical University, and entrepreneurship contest by Başkent University and ranked among the top three in all of them. Since our project is not yet started R&D, we continue to apply for and participate in competitions of, TEKNOFEST, TÜBİTAK, TAGEM, Ankara Kalkınma Ajansı, and other institutions to start our R&D process and develop an MVP. Meanwhile, we also review the literature for the scientific backbone of our project.
Problem or Opportunity
Excessive use of chemical fertilizers has led to an increase in the acidity of tea cultivation soils. It is accompanied by problems such as high metal toxicity, decreased nitrogen-fixing bacteria activity and increased phosphorus immobilization; Soil biochemistry, which changes due to the plants' inability to get enough nutrients from the soil, the decrease in the water holding capacity of the soil, the loss of biodiversity in the soil and the pollution of natural resources by harmful substances accumulated in the soil with precipitation, adversely affect the yield and quality of tea.
Solution (product or service)
It is to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by producing local preparations that increase plant resistance and yield with endophytic bacteria, which we will detect at the species level with eDNA, that is, environmental DNA method. Instead of producing a single fertilizer, we will be able to modify the preparation we will produce in a way that is specific to each plant. Endophytic microorganisms can directly benefit host plants by improving plant nutrient uptake and modulating growth and stress-related hormones. It has also been reported that it can improve plant health.
Business model
Our target sector is primarily the fertilizer companies in the tea sector. We plan to present our preparations, our final product, to the producer by combining them with the appropriate carriers of fertilizer companies. In this business, where we foresee the B2B mode of operation, the commission we will receive on fertilizer sales constitutes our income model.
Our target market is Rize province, where tea production is the most. The market size here is approximately 552 thousand decares. Our potential partners who can help us enter this market during the business are seen in the presentation.
