Fresh water
70%
of the world's fresh water goes to agriculture
And nearly half of it never reaches the plant — it evaporates first.
A patented organic biomimicry technology that prevents evaporation, cuts irrigation water use by up to 50%, and increases crop yield 20-30%. More crop per drop.
And nearly half of it never reaches the plant — it evaporates first.
Every crop carries a hidden water debt — a single almond can cost around 12 litres.
Drier soils, hotter cities and thirstier crops all trace back to the same vanishing resource.
Here's the solution.
An organic bead the size of a small grape — engineered to mimic the lotus leaf.
The lotus leaf is naturally super-hydrophobic — it repels water so completely that droplets bead and roll away. We engineered an organic diblock-polymer bead that mimics this surface at the molecular scale.
WaterPearls form a super-hydrophobic layer that suppresses evaporation — so more of each irrigation stays as liquid water in the soil, where roots actually use it.
In the past, growing more meant more water, fertilizer, labour or land. WaterPearls reverse this age-old relationship between cost and output.
Irrigation and energy savings, immediately measurable on your water bill and pump runtime.
Optimal nutrient absorption when soil stays evenly moist — irrigation after irrigation.
Reduced nutrients, herbicides and pesticides. Healthier soil, healthier plants, lower cost per acre.
Almost maintenance-free, inert, made of organic compounds (mainly simple sugars), UV biodegradable.
Water-reduction and yield figures as assessed for the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label (independent expert evaluation, 2023). Results vary with crop, climate and coverage.
Each field has its own irrigation challenge. WaterPearls adapt to the system in place — soil, drip, sprinkler, hydroponic, reservoir.
Long-cycle perennials with deep root systems — apple, almond, citrus, walnut.
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Wine and table grapes, where controlled water stress meets economic yield.
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Nursery, ornamentals, container-grown specialty crops — high evaporation surface.
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Controlled environment agriculture where humidity, disease and water cost compound.
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Reforestation, nursery stock, early-stage establishment in arid conditions.
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Utilities, municipal storage, agricultural reservoirs — cut evaporative loss at the source.
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Through a rainless 75-day summer in Woodland, California, WaterPearls mats were laid over the root zone of an almond orchard and tracked with in-ground moisture sensors.
Intermediate field-trial results reported by RHST Industries. See the orchard application → · Download the case study (PDF) →
Field trials underway since 2016 in China, South Africa, Jordan, the United States and Canada, in collaboration with academic and grower partners.
International prize
Awarded by Saudi Arabia's National Center for Palms & Dates — selected from entries across 35 countries as the only technology recognized for advancing water-use efficiency in date-palm agriculture, in support of Vision 2030.
Label
Awarded the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label in 2020 by the Solar Impulse Foundation — solutions assessed by independent experts for environmental and economic performance.
Label
Labelled in December 2023 by the Solar Impulse Foundation — solutions assessed by independent experts for environmental and economic performance. See the listing →
Patent
The surface and subsurface water-retention system, granted in 2018 — patent family filed since 2013, with protection running to 2034.
Selection
Selected among VivaTech's Top 400 Tech for Change — presenting water-replenishment infrastructure for AI data centers in Paris.
Research
Field-trial and research collaborations with UC Davis (California) and NAIT (Alberta), plus an ISO 14046-based Water Impact Report by Oxia Initiative.