Why Glow-in-the-Dark Crops Are Coming to One Iowa Farm

Glow-in-the-dark isn't just a cool thing for t-shirts and toys anymore.

That same technology is on its way to an Iowa farm with some very practical applications.

WeAreIowa.com is reporting that Blue Diamond Farming Company in Jesup, just east of Waterloo, is planning on using this unusual approach to help in the fields.

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It all involves special seeds and satellites to grow more crops and protect farmland at the same time.

Working with InnerPlant, a California-based agricultural tech company, Blue Diamond will be using seeds that have been DNA altered with genetic coding that will cause the crops to glow in the dark if they are impacted by stress, disease, and bugs.

That signal will be visible from satellites and drones and even from tractors in the field.

The plan is for pilot trials in fields using the USDA-approved seeds during the next planting season.