Solving the Challenges of Pistachio Pollination with Idit Technologies: Boosting Yields and Efficiency with Precision Agriculture

Pistachio growers face several challenges when it comes to pollination, including a lack of synchronization in flowering times between male and female trees, a low rate of pollination, and a relatively long sexual maturation of young male trees that produce a small amount of pollen. To ensure fertilization, sufficient amounts of pollen are required from male trees’ blossoms, carried by the wind to female trees at the right time. The process is affected by the flowers blooming simultaneously and the number of cold hours received during winter. Extreme weather changes during flowering season such as heat or late rains can damage quality pollination.

Idit Technologies Precision Agriculture has attracted interest from the agricultural industry with its Eidit’s precision pollination service (PPaS) solution based on its 2Be® model pollination machine that disperses high-quality pure pollen. In 2023, the company led to an increase in pistachio crop yields in California by 19%. Idit was established in 2016 and is located in Basmat Tivon and Paso Robles, California. The company provides precision pollination services to pistachio and almond growers including some of the world’s largest growers. Idit has raised over $15 million and employs over 15 people.

Investors in Idit include six kibbutzim, a cooperative settlement, and private investors. The company’s technology includes a pollen bank maintained for over five years and an autonomous pollinator dispersing only pure