Coming Soon

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18,434
2025-01-01 to 2026-12-31
Grant for R&D
"Financial strain in the UK strawberry sector has seen smaller growers exiting the industry. Home production has decreased by 25% since 2019, yet imports supply 34% of demand (DefraStats). To meet unsated demand for UK berries sustainably, new approaches and technologies are needed. Crop losses from excessive fertiliser mean growers need new guidelines. NIAB is developing variety-specific Nitrogen-demand models, for instance in strawberry (IUK 10097323): N savings of 77% are possible without reducing yields or quality. Despite offering year-round production, reduced environmental impact and shorter supply chains, strawberry production in TCEA is more challenging than leafy salads. Innovation is needed to transform productivity, resource use, and profitability. **InnoPhyte Consulting** (science and project management consultancy), leads our consortium, with **FlexFarming** (commercial TCEA strawberry grower), **Matrex** (advanced materials and technology for harvesting and concentrating atmospheric CO2), and **NIAB** (the largest UK horticulture research institute). We will develop a new nutrition management approach for commercial TCEA strawberry production. A model validated for lower N inputs/emissions and plant leaf area reduces manual leaf removal. Lower photosynthetic capacity will be offset by CO2 enrichment through MOF technology. Testing project outputs in FlexFarming's facilities will assess the commercial and environmental viability of our approach."