CropX acquires sensor startup EnGeniousAg
- September 24, 2024
- William Payne

Digital agronomy firm CropX has acquired agtech nitrogen sensing startup EnGeniousAg. EnGeniousAg has developed a nitrogen sensing technology that offers farmers precision tools to optimise nitrogen fertiliser application and minimise environmental impacts.
EnGeniousAg’s patented technology provides users with near-instantaneous, in-field nitrogen measurements. This data can inform nitrogen fertiliser applications to ensure plants have the proper levels for maximising profitability and boosts sustainability and crop performance during various growth phases. EnGeniousAg’s technical breakthroughs extend the range of ion-specific electrode sensing in precision agriculture. The company’s patented technology permits in-situ monitoring of nitrogen in plant tissue, drainage and irrigation waters, and soil. CropX will integrate EnGeniousAg‘s technology into its agronomic farm management system, enhancing its capabilities in agricultural nutrient management.
Precision nitrogen fertiliser management is a critical challenge in modern agriculture. Nitrogen fertiliser represents one of the largest crop input costs in agriculture worldwide. Inefficient nitrogen usage costs farmers billions of dollars each year while substantially increasing greenhouse gas emissions and nitrate loading to watersheds and aquifers.
EnGeniousAg’s technology will offer farmers cost-savings and operational efficiencies on the CropX platform. By allowing in-field nitrogen measurements coupled to data-driven agronomic recommendations, CropX’s integrated system of sensors and analytics will provide a new method to boost crop nitrogen use efficiency.
CropX made its 6th acquisition with EnGeniousAg, developers of revolutionary nitrogen sensing technology for plants, water, and soils. This will enable a new level of precision in nitrogen fertiliser management to reduce farm input costs and boost sustainable operations.
“Acquiring this nitrogen sensor technology underscores CropX’s commitment to providing farmers with one-stop-shop agronomic solutions,” said Tomer Tzach, CEO of CropX. “Nitrogen management is a critical, unsolved challenge of modern farming. We are eager to provide a solution with such transformative potential. In our global search for synergistic technologies in the nutrient management space, EnGeniousAg stood out with high-potential technology that is ideally suited to our mission.”
Mike Castellano, one of four co-founders of EngeniousAg, said, “We have spent years optimising and field testing EnGeniousAg’s nitrogen sensor technology and are excited to work with CropX to bring the benefits of this technology to the global market at scale as part of CropX’s agronomic farm management system. The combination should be a big win for farmers’ profitability and environmental sustainability.” Co-founder James Schnable said, “We are grateful for research funding from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programmes of the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Agriculture. Turning fundamental scientific discoveries into real world products is a key goal of these programmes. We’re excited to work with CropX to enable that translation.”