Could applying microalgae to the soil boost yield and strengthen plants? We spoke to Lance Smith, chief business office, Heliae Development LLC., based in Gilbert, Arizona, in the southeast Phoenixmetropolitan area. “Heliae is a company that is dedicated to unlocking the potential of microalgae,” said Smith. “We’ve been in business now for over eight years. We hope to be able to deliver microalgae products in a lot of areas, including in plant agriculture.” “While we work with hundreds of algae species, the algae we are currently marketing for plant agriculture is a green algae.