Locus Agriculture Tackles Soil Compaction with Unpac Glycolipid Solution

Locus Agriculture has developed Unpac, a soil solution that uses fermentation-derived glycolipid technology to improve water movement and reduce soil compaction. This can lead to stronger root development and improved crop access to available moisture and nutrients.

According to the USDA Economic Research Service, growers identified soil compaction as a resource concern across 22% of surveyed wheat, soybean, oat, and cotton fields. Unpac works by lowering surface tension, allowing water to spread more effectively through the soil profile and penetrate areas that may otherwise remain difficult for roots to access.

Third-party laboratory testing evaluated Unpac across different moisture conditions using agricultural soils collected from California's Central Coast and Central Valley. The tests indicated reduced soil density and improved water penetration in both soil types compared with untreated water.

Locus Agriculture says Unpac is being integrated into production programs across several crop systems, particularly specialty crops where soil structure can significantly influence plant development and yield. In potato cultivation, the product can be applied in-furrow to help create a looser growing environment for developing roots and tubers.