Growing more with smarter plant science.
Feeding more people with less, under harsher conditions
By 2050 the world will need roughly 50% more food, yet 30% of the world's soil is already degraded and 67% of global freshwater goes to irrigation. In Saudi Arabia the pressure is acute: rising temperatures cut crop yields by 7–25%, soil salinity by a further 17–38%, and 86% of the water drawn comes from non-renewable aquifers. The old answer — more fertilizer and more water — only deepens soil degradation, water contamination and emissions.
Not a fertilizer. A plant signal
MiZax mimics zaxinone, a naturally occurring metabolite that regulates plant growth and development. Rather than force growth with heavier inputs, it helps the plant regulate its own growth and use resources more efficiently — stronger roots, better nutrient uptake, optimized photosynthesis and healthier architecture. The result is more crop production and greater resilience, at application rates far below conventional biostimulants.
MiZax in action
A decade of KAUST plant science, proven in the field
Developed by Professor Salim Al-Babili's team over more than a decade — with synthetic compounds designed alongside the University of Tokyo — MiZax has been evaluated in many independent field trials across potatoes, cereals and pepper crops in Saudi Arabia, and rice in Taiwan. It works across a wide crop range and is commercialized through NAMYA, a KAUST–SEQUENCIVE venture built to scale it in the Kingdom and globally.
- Mechanism
- Mimics zaxinone, a natural plant-growth signalling metabolite
- Potato pilot (Al Qasim)
- 48% higher production; 106% more large (>150 g) tubers
- Cotton (Pakistan)
- 201% increase in total production vs untreated
- Wheat / pearl millet
- 140% higher wheat yield; pearl-millet yield more than doubled
- Rice (Taiwan)
- Cut fertilizer requirement by half
- Application rate
- Effective far below conventional biostimulant rates
Creating impact where it matters most
Food security
Increasing yield while reducing input use to support long-term food security.
Water conservation
Enhancing plant water-use efficiency to cut agricultural water consumption.
Soil restoration
Improving soil health through natural biological processes, not heavier chemistry.
Scaling from Saudi Arabia
Commercialized via NAMYA to reach farmers in the Kingdom and global markets.
KAUST. On a mission for Saudi Arabia and the world.
Whether you’re a researcher, entrepreneur, industry partner or investor, we invite you to be part of the journey.
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