NewLeaf Vegetable Transplant Technology Launches in California
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12:48 PM on Wednesday, December 10
The Associated Press
ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 10, 2025--
Growers transplanting vegetables from the greenhouse to the field now have an additional tool to prepare for the unexpected during critical periods of transplant stress. NewLeaf Symbiotics, a biological technology provider and global leader of PPFMs, is launching a specific-to-vegetable transplant (VT) biostimulant for 2026. NewLeaf’s VT Technology, registered Terrasym® VT, has demonstrated notable yield wins in a broad range of specialty crops, including strawberries, tomatoes and cucurbits. VT received California approval for use in late November 2025, making it now available in key U.S. geographies.
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Anne Phillips, senior staff scientist at NewLeaf Symbiotics, walks with a grower through his tomato field trial during the Pink Performance Tour in 2025.
“NewLeaf VT technology is a combination of PPFM strains that work together to improve nutrient uptake and mitigate abiotic transplant stress to enhance seedling vigor,” says Aaron Kelley, Chief Commercial Officer of NewLeaf Symbiotics. “These plant benefits result in more fruit being harvested when compared with the grower standard practice as a control in trials.”
Growers using VT have choices in application method, applying via drench prior to transplant or via dripline after transplant. The technology is another proof point demonstrating the power and performance of Pink-Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs (PPFMs), a class of microbes where NewLeaf is the undisputed global leader. With a library of 12,000 PPFM strains, NewLeaf specifically selects and develops technologies based on each strain’s unique genetic properties. The strains specifically selected and developed into the VT technology for vegetable transplant demonstrated the ability to work symbiotically with these specialty crops.
“VT technology has been tested for more than 8 years in labs, greenhouses, small-plot field trials and on-farm large-scale field trials. NewLeaf puts that time and resource investment into our technology so we can deliver consistent performance for fruit and vegetable transplant production,” says Kelley. “As we awaited critical approvals, like California, we were able to document strong results, including an average yield increase of 2.3 tons/A in processing tomatoes on 20 large scale farm trials from 2022-2024 when compared to grower standard practice.”
NewLeaf’s VT technology is now approved for use in 21 states. Retailers and growers interested in research results or purchasing NewLeaf VT technology for 2026 can reach out to the NewLeaf team at newleafsym.com.
About NewLeaf Symbiotics
NewLeaf Symbiotics is a biological technology provider known as the pioneer and global leader of Pink-Pigmented Facultative Methylotrophs (PPFMs) and methanotrophs, a closely related microbe. NewLeaf has nine technologies on ten crops developed over the last decade and has a pipeline backed by more than 250 patents focused on sustainable and yield-based outcomes in crop production. Ranging from row crops to specialty operations, NewLeaf is dedicated to a science-led, performance-driven and data-backed approach that delivers results to its partners and the growers they support.
Terrasym® is a registered trademark of NewLeaf Symbiotics.
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CONTACT: Media Contact:
Kayla Hedrick, Grit Marketing
309-657-1858
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA MISSOURI UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CANADA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SCIENCE OTHER SCIENCE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH NATURAL RESOURCES ENVIRONMENT GREEN TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING
SOURCE: NewLeaf Symbiotics
Copyright Business Wire 2025.
PUB: 12/10/2025 12:48 PM/DISC: 12/10/2025 12:48 PM
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251210695539/en