In 2003, a small American research firm doing business as Biobased USA developed an ecologically friendly, biobased cleansing wash for fresh fruit and vegetable packers. It’s formulated entirely from items on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of approved food ingredients in the United States (the EAFUS list). Its name: SoySoap.

After two years of successful use as a fresh-crop wash, the developers discovered that when young growing crops were sprayed with a very diluted solution of SoySoap in water, plants developed large, deep roots. In tests on more than 10,000 acres of tomatoes, peppers, squash, grains and a wide variety of specialty crops, these super-sized roots energized 20% to 100% higher yields. Fruit and vegetables had higher sugar content; grain had heavier test weights.

The product’s inventor invited overseas crop scientists to test it. When farmers and governments in Vietnam, India and China saw their own test results on rice and other crops, they eagerly sought to use SoySoap on millions of acres.

The developer has cooperated in 2008/2009 with testing at universities worldwide. Trials are currently underway at Ohio State University, the University of Florida, University of Georgia, North Carolina State University and the Ag Research Division of Alberta (Canada) Agriculture and Rural Development.