Murli Manohar, the co-founder and CEO of CryoBio, joins host Maureen Ballatori on this episode of the Spilled Salt podcast. Murli shares how a childhood shaped by crop failure and financial hardship became the driving force behind a career focused on helping farmers solve their most pressing challenges.
From Late Blight to Breakthroughs in Agriculture
Murli first made waves in the industry as a co-founder of Ascribe Bioscience, a company born from his research at Cornell University. There, he co-discovered a set of naturally occurring molecules that prime plant immune systems.
In laymen’s terms, Murli helped develop a vaccine for crops, allowing them to fend off pathogens without compromising yield. The product has shown broad-spectrum effectiveness and potential to dramatically reduce reliance on synthetic pesticides.
Creating Impact Beyond Scientific Discovery
Murli has built trust the hard way: one acre at a time. By bringing transparent, data-backed trials directly to farmers—often in regions overlooked by the agtech world—Murli earned credibility where many others failed. His approach reflects a growing shift in agritech: proving value not just in the lab, but in the field.
Now with CryoBio, Murli is turning his attention to another escalating threat—frost. With climate change driving more frequent and intense frost events, high-value crops like apples and grapes are increasingly at risk. CryoBio is developing a naturally derived, biomolecule-based solution that reduces ice formation in plant tissues, potentially saving entire harvests. The company is gearing up for field trials in 2026, with early support from growers and backing from Boyce Thompson Institute.
The Broader Role of Biotechnology
Throughout the conversation, Murli and Maureen explore the broader role of biotech in climate resilience and food security. They emphasize the need for honest farmer relationships, scalable innovation, and realistic ROI expectations—especially as the industry moves toward greener solutions.
Transcript
This transcript has been edited from its original form to support readability.
Maureen Ballatori: I’m Maureen Ballatori and this is Spilled Salt, a podcast on the thrills and spills from the food, beverage and agriculture industries. Today’s guest is Murli Manohar, a serial entrepreneur and scientist in the biotech industry. He’s experienced in spearheading innovation and promoting sustainable practices within biotechnology operations.
Murli is the co-founder and CEO of a startup in the biotech space called CryoBio, just recently launched. He is also the former co-founder of Ascribe Bioscience.
Ascribe is a client of my firm, Agency 29, and they created a technology to revolutionize practices that farmers utilize to protect crops from pests and pathogens. That shifts their reliance on synthetic pesticides and allows them to utilize natural biochemicals.
Murli has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed research papers, reviews, book chapters, and numerous patents. And what I love about this conversation today with Murli is how he talks about the grander landscape of biotechnology and its application in the agriculture industry.
We also talk about the critical importance of building trust with farmers so that you don’t sound like a snake oil salesman and Murli shares his thoughts on some of the most critical issues impacting the biotechnology industry today. Enjoy the conversation.
Maureen: Hey, Murli, how are you?
Murli Manohar: Doing alright, how are you Maureen?
Maureen: Very good. Thank you so much for joining me on the show today. I’m so excited to talk about your career in the biotech industry.
Murli: It’s an honor to be here.
Maureen: Wonderful, thank you. So I always love to start at the beginning. So tell us a little bit about your background leading up to the work that you’re doing now.
Murli: I’m originally from India. I was born and raised in a farming family. I’ve seen the ups and downs of small growers in India. When I was about 12 years old, we had a major crop—potatoes and onions—and that year, a disease called late blight of potato devastated everything. Back then, there was no safety net for growers in India. My father and grandfather couldn’t pay off their debts, so they left agriculture for good. My father started looking for jobs so the family could survive. We struggled for a couple of years.
I ended up leaving school to support the family. Eventually, my father found a decent job, which allowed us to go back to school. But that was the turning point.
Maureen: And how old were you at that time, Murli?
Murli: I think either 11 or 12—very early childhood. That was the moment I felt helpless. I remember my father and grandfather sitting in a room talking about how we were going to get by. There was no way out. No government programs like there are today. They left farming, and we struggled for two years until my father found work. My mother was incredibly resilient. Without her, we probably wouldn’t have made it. She insisted we return to school no matter what.
That’s when I realized agriculture is what I want to do for the rest of my life. First, because it’s absolutely essential. Second, because it’s incredibly interesting. The world needs scientists who can solve agricultural problems. So I went to agriculture college for my bachelor’s.
In India, you can’t just apply to college. You have to go through competitive exams with anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 applicants, depending on the institution. After my undergrad, I wanted to go to IIT, one of the best schools in India. The competition is tough, but I was lucky to get in. That’s where I studied agricultural biotechnology. At the time, biotechnology was just starting to emerge in India.
From there, I came to the U.S. for a PhD at Texas A&M University. After that, I moved to Cornell University as a scientist. That’s where I co-discovered, with two other researchers, a set of small molecules that activate plant defenses. They were unique compared to existing biopesticides. That led to the founding of Ascribe Bioscience in 2017. It took almost five years to get through field validation, regulatory steps, and scaling.
One key thing I learned at Ascribe was the importance of real-world field trials with farmers instead of relying solely on traditional validation processes. I traveled all over—South Dakota, North Dakota—places not many people go. I met amazing farmers who were willing to give us a few acres to test our technology. That was powerful.
Maureen: And you’re talking about helping farmers transition from conventional pesticides to testing a biopesticide for the first time, right? Many of them are considering it for the first time. What did that conversation look like?
Murli: That’s a great point. Farmers have known about biologicals—biopesticides and biostimulants—for decades. But many don’t trust them. A common term I hear from farmers is “snake oil.” Big companies come in and make wild promises: “Apply this and get a 20% yield boost.” Farmers try it, it doesn’t work, and they lose time and money.
So when I approach farmers, I do it differently. I say, “Here’s what it looks like in the greenhouse. Here’s what it looks like in small field trials. I don’t know what it’s going to do in your field, but here’s the data. Would you like to try it?”
That honesty matters. They often say, “Sure, give me some and we’ll try it.” And when I came back at harvest, many were amazed that it actually worked. Some even made videos for us, wanting to help.
That was a real learning experience. We waste so much time in greenhouses or controlled trials. But the real test is with farmers in their fields. Now, my approach is: develop a minimal version that works in the greenhouse, then go to the field and test it in real-world conditions.
Maureen: So you think you could have moved faster if you’d gone directly from greenhouse to small-scale field trials?
Murli: Definitely. The small pilot trials aren’t real-world. They’re too controlled. You can’t accurately measure yield in those conditions. You might spend three years on those trials and still not know the real value to farmers. But when you test on 10 acres in a real field, farmers can compare it to their current solutions and tell you directly if it works.
Maureen: So really, a lot of what we talk about on the show is the importance of building trust with farmers. I think that’s especially important in ag tech because it’s still a developing segment.
I love that you’re focused on approaching those relationships with honesty. Honesty builds trust. And that trust is the foundation you need, or else they’ll kick you out before you even get a chance to say hello.
It’s always great to hear from people in the industry who make trust-building a core part of their business.
Murli: Absolutely. There is no replacement for that. The sooner you build that trust as a startup, the better off you’ll be. Some people learn that the hard way. I probably did too. I didn’t know this was the right approach at first, but I tried it, and it felt like the right thing to do. I would recommend that to any startup developing technology for farmers.
Innovation doesn’t happen in the lab. It happens when you’re solving real problems farmers face. If that’s your goal, then you’re probably on the right track.
Maureen: I love it. So with respect to Ascribe Bioscience, you mentioned it came from your work at Cornell. You discovered this molecule. Can you explain at a high level what Ascribe Bioscience is? And then tell us about a high point and a low point from your time there. After that, we’ll talk about what came next.
Murli: At Ascribe, we developed novel biopesticides. To put it in context, it’s like a vaccine for plants. Most technologies out there that you apply to plants work through the plant system, but they also use up a lot of the plant’s energy. If the plant is busy fighting pathogens, it can’t produce the same yield.
What we developed is different. You apply it proactively, and the crop senses it. The plant changes internally but not so much that it diverts resources from normal growth. So when a pathogen does show up, the plant has already “seen” the molecule and responds much faster. That’s why I call it a vaccine for plants.
And it only takes a tiny amount. An aspirin tablet’s worth is enough for 10 to 20 acres. Just a whiff activates the plant’s defense system without disrupting its growth.
Maureen: What crops does it work on?
Murli: The biomolecule is naturally found in soil and has co-evolved with plants. We haven’t found a crop it doesn’t work on. It works on staples, tree crops, vegetables, fruits—very broad-spectrum. The plant immune system is simple. If you activate a few key systems, the plant is protected against fungi, bacteria, viruses, nematodes. We’ve tested it extensively, and our initial focus was fungi, since they are the biggest problem in root crops.
Maureen: Would it have worked on the potato blight that wiped out your family’s crop?
Murli: Absolutely. We actually tested it on potatoes with Cornell researchers. We used a field in Slaterville and confirmed that it works on both potatoes and tomatoes. That same pathogen affects both.
Maureen: That’s wild. What does that feel like for you? You were 11 or 12 going through that turmoil, and now you’ve developed something that could have protected your family’s crops. That must be incredibly humbling.
Murli: It really is. When farmers tell me this technology works, that’s more satisfying than anything else. Of course, as a founder, you’re also thinking about the business. But as a scientist, there’s nothing more rewarding.
I always felt that once this technology was developed, we’d bring it to India. In the last two years, that’s exactly what we’ve done. The last thing I did at Ascribe was set up rice trials in India. Rice is a major staple crop there, and it’s facing serious pathogen issues. Farmers are using harsh pesticides and antibiotics that no longer work. Sometimes they apply these just before harvest, and the chemical residues are so high they can’t be exported.
Last year, our rice trial was a game changer. It performed extremely well. Forbes even ran an article on our rice trials in India. I’m proud it’s helping not just here in the U.S., but also in developing countries where the need is even greater.
Maureen: Kudos to you. That’s remarkable. One more question about Ascribe. I was talking to a friend recently about biopesticides. They believed it’s not feasible to rely solely on biopesticides at scale, and that combining them with conventional pesticides is the safest bet for farmers. What’s your take?
Murli: I completely agree. Biopesticides that work through the plant system need the plant to be healthy. If the infection is severe, the plant gets overwhelmed and its defense systems shut down. That’s when you need conventional pesticides to bring things under control.
So for light to moderate infections, biopesticides work great. But when infections are heavy, a combination is necessary. There’s also the production angle. Whether it’s microbe-based or protein-based, you have to manufacture the biopesticide. Farmers are operating on razor-thin margins, so affordability is crucial.
We learned that quickly and scaled the technology to keep it affordable. We also tested compatibility with other pesticides so they can be mixed and applied together. Today, I don’t know of any biopesticide that works alone against severe infections.
Maureen: That’s good to know. I think that’s helpful for listeners to understand. So you just mentioned you’ve left Ascribe. Tell us about that transition. Why did you leave, and what are you working on now?
Murli: Last year at Ascribe, we were scaling up. I come from an academic background and knew little about business, so we brought in experienced leaders. Jay Farmer is now CEO, and Gabriel Wilmoth, who has a business background, is COO.
After three years of trials, regulatory approvals, and working with farmers, I saw that Dave and Gabriel were well-positioned to lead the company into commercialization. At that point, I started thinking about new technologies. I had some ideas already and got in touch with my co-founder, Abe Pressman.
Maureen: Your co-founder for the new company?
Murli: Yes, my co-founder for the new company.
We started working on this idea because we wanted to see if the project was viable. The first thing we did was talk to growers to ask, “Does this problem exist?” I had a strong network of growers I could reach out to quickly. We didn’t tell them exactly what we were working on—we just asked general questions.
We’d ask things like, “What happened last year? What issues came up?” Some would say, “This was a huge problem,” others would say it wasn’t as bad. But when you talk to hundreds of people, you start to see a pattern. That’s how we confirmed this was a real, widespread issue.
The low point, though, was after I left Ascribe. I was very excited at first. I thought, “I’ve done this once. Let’s build another company.” But once I left, I felt a little lost. I had chosen to go down this startup road again, but then I remembered the challenges I faced in 2017 and 2018 when I was building Ascribe. Suddenly, they all came flooding back, and it felt much more real.
I was excited—but also very nervous. Especially now, with a family and kids, I started thinking, “What if this fails?” That was a real low point. I wondered if I was making the right decision. But after a month or two, I knew this was what I wanted to do. My wife told me, “If this is what you want to do, try it. If it fails, it fails—but at least you tried.” Thanks to her support, I picked myself back up.
And within six months, we raised our pre-seed funding. We’re now in an incubator, working with farmers, and we’ve already hired a scientist and a technician. I feel like we’re moving at lightning speed to get this new technology ready for on-farm testing next year. It’s very exciting.
Maureen: That’s so exciting. And kudos to your wife. I think the fear and excitement of launching something new is something I can definitely relate to.
I remember the moment I had both an infant and a toddler at home, and I decided to quit my full-time job to scale Agency 29. I hung up a little card behind my desk that said, “Proceed as if success is inevitable.”
I needed that reminder. And I also needed the confidence and support of my husband to give me a nudge when I was questioning myself. That kind of support system is so important. It sounds like your mom played a similar role in your life—pushing you to stay in school and be resilient. That value clearly stuck with you, and it’s so important for entrepreneurs.
Murli: Absolutely. Sometimes when I feel unsure, I look back. I’ve faced harder things before. I went from being at the bottom of my class to being the top student later on. That gives me strength. I think, “This challenge seems big, but I’ve handled worse.” Coming from a humble background, going through struggles, it all helps.
Where I come from, what I’ve done is still considered unheard of. I almost failed in school and got into the worst college imaginable. But things turned around. I developed an interest, started studying, and eventually came here. That journey is what gives me strength to keep going.
Maureen: Yes, absolutely. It’s about putting in the work, knowing where you want to go, and taking steps every day to get there. So with this new company, what can you share about what you’re doing? What’s it called? What’s the timeline? You mentioned talking with farmers—tell us more.
Murli: The new company is called CryoBio. The name speaks for itself—“cryo” means cold. We’re developing technology to fight frost in agriculture.
Over the past six months, we’ve spoken with many growers in New York, Washington, India, and Europe—places that are prone to frost. Because of climate change and weather irregularities, both the frequency and intensity of frost events have increased. In New York, for example, moderate frost causes farmers to lose 10 to 20 percent of their produce on average. And these are high-value crops—apples, grapes. But when severe frost hits—four or five degrees—that can mean losing 90 percent of the crop.
In 2023, many growers told us they lost 70 or 80 percent of their produce. Just one night of frost in May, when flowers were blooming, wiped everything out.
Maureen: I remember that night vividly. It hit New York hard. My social feeds were full of farmer friends lighting fires in their fields and running fans to keep the air moving to protect the crops. Apples and grapes were hit the worst.
Murli: Yes, it was a tough year. And the technologies you mentioned—lighting fires, using wind machines—they help, but only against modest frost. They’re also prohibitively expensive, especially for small growers. The machines cost around $5,000 per acre to install and hundreds more to operate each night. Plus, someone has to be in the field, turning them on and off. It’s expensive, inconvenient, and still doesn’t offer full protection. Even with all that, you can still lose 10 to 20 percent.
Maureen: So what will your solution do? What’s the goal?
Murli: We discovered a group of biomolecules that are naturally found in insects, fish, and microbes that live in cold climates. These organisms release these molecules to keep their internal fluids from freezing. Eventually, researchers found these molecules also exist in plants—just in much smaller quantities.
So what we’re doing is extracting and formulating these molecules so they can be applied to crops. They reduce ice crystal formation, which is what causes frost damage. And early testing shows they could provide protection from frost in the range of five to eight degrees Celsius. That would essentially cover most frost events and potentially prevent nearly 100 percent of the damage.
Right now, we’re developing the formulation in the lab and doing greenhouse testing. In parallel, we’re working with contract manufacturers to scale the process, because cost is a major factor. If the technology isn’t affordable, it’s not viable. We’re also exploring the regulatory side. These molecules are already approved as food additives in the U.S. and Europe, so we’re optimistic, but it will still take time.
Maureen: And you mentioned that you’re asking open-ended questions to farmers to better understand their challenges. Besides frost, what are some of the other issues that came up in those conversations?
Murli: We talked about pathogens—some farmers mentioned specific pathogens depending on their crops. That’s still a major issue. But something that surprised me was the labor challenge.
For example, apple growers in New York might have 500 acres. They have to request a specific number of seasonal workers ahead of time, often from other countries. Once those 40 or so workers arrive with visas, you’re committed. You’ve promised them work.
Then frost hits—or some other event—and suddenly you’ve lost 60 to 70 percent of your produce. But you still have to pay those workers. That cost isn’t covered by insurance. You can’t just send them home. Even if you cut down some trees or reduce operations, you still owe them a portion of the wages—usually 75 percent of what you committed.
And even if only 30 percent of your crop remains, you still have to irrigate, mow, spray—everything. But now, you’re doing it for a fraction of the produce. That creates a huge financial strain.
Maureen: Wow. That’s a significant impact. And it’s only going to get more complicated with the shifting political landscape and immigration policies. We’ll have to see how that affects future labor availability. So what does the timeline look like for CryoBio’s growth? You mentioned the pre-seed funding is already raised.
Murli: Yes, we just hired a scientist. We also joined the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell. They’ve given us access to lab space, greenhouse space, and office space—everything we need. It’s a fantastic environment. I’ve been a scientist there before, and it’s where we built Ascribe, so it feels like home. They’ve been incredibly supportive.
We’ve just started formulation work in the lab. Our goal is to be ready for field testing by spring 2026. That’s why we’re talking to as many growers as possible—to better understand their frost-related challenges so we can tailor the technology.
If we’re ready early next year, we’d love to test in the field side by side with what farmers are currently doing. That way they can see the difference firsthand. If it works great—amazing. If it doesn’t, we go back to the lab and fix it. That’s our approach.
Any growers interested in collaborating, we’d love to talk. We’re happy to share what we’re working on and learn from them. Collaboration is key.
Maureen: And you’re primarily looking for specialty crop farmers right now? Apples and grapes?
Murli: For now, yes. There’s a scaling process to consider. Early on, the technology may cost around $100 to $200 per acre. That’s too high for staple crops, but reasonable for high-value crops. Long-term, we want to scale production and bring that down to around $20 per acre.
So our initial focus is apple and grape growers in New York and Washington—those who were directly impacted by frost and need solutions now.
Maureen: That makes sense. Okay, so let’s zoom out a little. I think of you as someone with a broad view of the biotech and climate tech industries. What are some of the most critical issues facing those sectors right now?
Murli: Climate change and weather irregularities are affecting everything. One big problem is resistance. Pathogens are developing resistance to pesticides faster than ever. A researcher once told me that a transgenic crop line developed 15 years ago used to last eight years before the pathogen broke through. Now it lasts three.
The same goes for pesticides. They’re designed to kill, which puts pressure on the pathogens to survive—and evolve. The more pressure, the faster the resistance builds.
The solution is to avoid relying on a single pesticide or mode of action. You need to use combinations so that pathogens are hit from multiple angles. That reduces the chances of resistance developing.
That’s where biotech has a huge role to play. Pesticides won’t disappear overnight, but at some point, they may become ineffective. In Brazil, there’s a pest—Asian soybean rust—that’s so strong, no single pesticide works. You need four, six, even eight in combination to control it.
That’s why we need biopesticides. They use different modes of action—through the plant’s own systems—and can help extend the life of conventional pesticides. It’s a complementary strategy.
Maureen: Right, and we’re also seeing increasing drought. That’s been a huge issue, especially in the U.S. Midwest.
Murli: Absolutely. Drought has become a recurring challenge. In the U.S. and Brazil, we’re seeing big hits to corn and soybean production. In India, drought was so bad last year that they harvested only half the usual amount of staple crops like wheat.
These are massive, global problems. And biotechnology has solutions—but it takes time and patience. The science is there. We just need to apply it thoughtfully.
Maureen: It sounds like the path forward is a blend—there’s no silver bullet. It’s a mix of technologies and approaches working together to get the job done.
Murli: Exactly. There is no silver bullet in agriculture. Whether it’s pathogens, frost, or drought—you need a combination of solutions. Maybe what we’re developing at CryoBio won’t be enough on its own. Maybe we’ll need to combine it with something else. That’s okay.
The point is to use what’s available in the smartest way. You don’t want to apply five things at full rate. If you’re introducing a biopesticide, you should be reducing the use of synthetic chemicals in parallel. Otherwise, what’s the point?
It’s our job as scientists to make the value of these technologies clear. We need to show farmers how they can extend the life of conventional products and reduce overall chemical use—while still maintaining yield and profitability.
Maureen: I think that scientific approach—treating it like a hypothesis and being open to whatever the result is—is key to the success of new ag tech. And it’s clear you’re very aware of what farmers actually need: economic benefit. Whether that’s through reducing costs, increasing sustainability, improving yields, or ideally all three, it comes down to economics. Farmers need a return on investment.
It’s refreshing to hear you focus on that, because sometimes, especially in regenerative agriculture, I’ll talk to a startup founder who says, “Well, consumers will just have to pay more.” And I think—no, that’s not how this works.
Murli: Well said, Maureen. Farmers should not be the ones paying the price for green technology. Yes, it’s good for the environment, but the burden has to be shared. Otherwise, it won’t get adopted.
If you’re offering premium technology, that’s fine—but it has to provide equal or greater value. Farmers aren’t going to spend $200 more just because it’s “green.” They’ll spend that if they get $200 or more in return. That’s the key—ROI. And given how small their margins already are, we can’t expect them to shoulder the whole cost.
As developers, we may need to subsidize the technology early on, or find a way to scale it so it becomes affordable. But asking farmers to spend more and get less in return? That’s not a solution.
Maureen: Yes, exactly. Alright, last question for you. What’s next for the future of biotechnology and climate tech?
Murli: There’s a lot happening, and it’s an exciting time. But biotechnology is a tool. It can be used to solve problems in agriculture, health, and beyond. The key is making sure we’re using that tool to solve real problems.
As a scientist, I might develop something that seems amazing in the lab. But if it doesn’t help a farmer—or a patient, or whoever it’s meant to serve—it doesn’t mean anything. So the focus has to be on solving actual needs, not just making interesting science.
That’s what I believe will drive success in agriculture and climate tech. Focus on the real-world problem first. Then adapt the science and technology to meet that need. That’s where the impact will come from.
Maureen: Yes, it sounds simple, but it’s such an important reminder. Murli, thank you so much for joining me today. This was such a great conversation. I loved hearing more about your background, the creation of Ascribe, and now the work you’re doing with CryoBio.
And for any listeners—if you’re in specialty crops, especially in New York or Washington, and you’re facing frost issues, check out CryoBio and connect with Murli. He’d love to hear about your operation. Thanks again for being here.
Murli: It’s been a pleasure, Maureen. Thank you for having me.