Croptix, a Pennsylvania-based precision agriculture platform for in-field early detection of crop disease and nutrition, has announced the first close of its USD 3.5 million seed funding round led by Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA), with participation from 1855 Capital and Ben Franklin Technology Partners.

Croptix intends to use the funds to develop and implement its patented in-field sensing technology, expand its presence in the nutrient sector, and improve its disease detection solutions for high-value permanent crops such as apples and grapes, both in the US and internationally.

Founded in 2016, Croptix offers a precision agriculture platform for early detection of crop health in the field, helping farmers make fast, data-backed decisions to optimize yield, reduce costs, and mitigate fatal crop diseases. The platform uses field-deployable sensor technology, combined with ML analytics and AI, to screen for crop diseases earlier and quantify nutritional information faster than legacy tests. Croptix's initial solution has proven beneficial for citrus growers in identifying early indications of Huanglongbing (HLB) citrus greening, a destructive citrus plant disease.