CryoBio is developing a biological crop input intended to reduce frost damage, and its founder and CEO, Murli Manohar, says the company is working with growers to test it in real fields. A September 2026 report named CryoBio one of 20 Grow-NY finalists; that report scheduled the winner announcement for November 12–13, so it does not establish the competition’s eventual result.
Who is Murli Manohar?
Murli Manohar is CryoBio’s founder and CEO. In an edited interview with Spilled Salt, he describes growing up in a farming family in India and seeing potato late blight devastate the family farm. He says that experience helped lead him to agricultural science.
The interview recounts that Manohar completed a PhD at Texas A&M, later worked at Cornell, and co-founded Ascribe Bioscience in 2017 to commercialize crop-protection research. It also identifies him as CryoBio’s co-founder and CEO. CryoBio’s team page currently lists him as founder and CEO. These career and education details are accounts in the interview and company material.
What does CryoBio say it is developing?
CryoBio is developing a biological crop input intended to limit ice formation and reduce frost damage. In the Spilled Salt interview, Manohar discusses extracting and formulating molecules for crop application, along with laboratory formulation, greenhouse tests, manufacturing scale-up, cost, and regulatory requirements.
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A September 17, 2026 report by WBNG describes the product as a small polypeptide sprayed on flowers before anticipated frost. Manohar told WBNG: “It’s a small polypeptide that we spray on the flowers before anticipated frost, and it works by reducing the freezing point of water.” That is the company CEO’s description, not an independent finding about how well the product works.
In a February 12, 2026 report, AgNavigator said the product was derived through precision fermentation, that a seed-treatment version was in development, and that protection could last from several days to two weeks depending on the crop. Those details were attributed to the company and Manohar; they are not independently verified performance results. The sources do not establish efficacy across crops, frost conditions, or commercial field use.
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How is CryoBio approaching grower testing?
Manohar presents field validation and grower trust as lessons from his earlier work. In the Spilled Salt interview, he describes sharing greenhouse and small-trial results with farmers, being candid that outcomes in an individual field are uncertain, and inviting growers to test the product themselves: “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?”
AgNavigator reported that nearly 30 growers in New York, Maryland, and Washington were lined up for planned five-acre field trials. Manohar told the outlet: “We are working very closely with growers. We are not bringing the data to them. We want them to test, and they bring us the data, and they tell us what we should do,” The report reflects plans as of February 2026; it does not confirm that those trials took place or publish their results.
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For growers considering a developing frost-management product, the useful evidence will be crop- and site-specific field results, application timing and equipment, protection duration, cost per treated acre, and any labor or energy trade-offs. AgNavigator mentioned traditional warming methods such as candles and helicopters, but did not report a controlled comparison with CryoBio’s product.
What was CryoBio’s development timeline?
The dates reported so far describe plans, not confirmed milestones:
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| Source and date | What it reported | What it establishes |
|---|---|---|
| Spilled Salt interview, date not stated in the transcript | Manohar aimed for field testing in spring 2026. | An intended schedule, not evidence that field tests occurred. |
| AgNavigator, February 12, 2026 | Nearly 30 growers were lined up for five-acre trials; the expected product release was 2028. | Reported plans and a forecast as of that date, not a confirmed launch date or current status. |
| AgNavigator, February 12, 2026 | Production was at gram scale, with a planned move toward kilogram scale after another funding round. | A reported production status and scale-up plan at the time. |
AgNavigator also reported that CryoBio had raised $1.3 million in pre-seed funding, which the company planned to use to prepare infrastructure for field validation and a release then expected in 2028. The available reporting does not establish whether the financing, trials, production plans, or launch forecast have since changed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does Grow-NY finalist status mean?
WBNG reported on September 17, 2026, that CryoBio was among 20 finalists in the eighth and final round of the second annual Grow-NY food and agriculture competition. The outlet said the $1 million grand-prize winner would be announced at the summit in Rochester on November 12–13, 2026.
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Finalist status establishes that CryoBio was selected as a finalist; it does not establish that the company won the grand prize, received funding, or proved its product’s efficacy. WBNG’s report predates the scheduled announcement and does not state the eventual result.
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