A片资源吧

Greenhouse berry production research at A片资源吧 (SFU) is ramping up thanks to $5 million in new funding over three years from the Weston Family Foundation鈥檚 Homegrown Innovation Challenge.

The SFU-led project鈥攄eveloped in collaboration with industry partner BeriTech鈥攊s one of selected to participate in the Challenge鈥檚 Scaling Phase. With this support, the team will continue advancing their indoor blueberry trials while branching out to include raspberries and blackberries. The goal: to develop sustainable, scalable, and economically viable indoor growing systems that can support Canadian farmers year-round.

Led by biological sciences professor Jim Mattsson, the team is working to address key challenges in indoor production, from plant genetics to growing conditions.

鈥淏erry plants are less demanding than crops such as tomatoes and peppers, but also have a lower yield. 鈥淲e aim at identifying the sweet spot between inputs and outputs to provide berries at an affordable price,鈥� explains BeriTech chief science officer Eric Gerbrandt.

鈥淲e鈥檙e working with raspberry farmers already. They鈥檙e eager to extend the season on both sides, and they are very interested in greenhouse technology, but they don鈥檛 have the know-how to do it.鈥�

In order to make indoor berry farming viable at scale, the team is developing  compact, high-yield berry varieties as well as the technology and growing sytems needed for them to thrive.

鈥淵ou can buy both raspberry and blueberry plants that have a shorter stature, but they have a fairly low yield,鈥� Mattsson explains. 鈥淐ertain genes have been knocked out creating a plant that is essentially less healthy, and therefore smaller. But if you knock out the right gene, you can get healthy plant that is smaller.鈥�

Alongside this work on genetics, BeriTech is designing low-cost, modular systems to provide optimal growing conditions at a price point that farmers can afford.

鈥淲e鈥檙e taking a fairly simple approach,鈥� Mattsson explains, 鈥渁 turnkey solution based on existing technologies to keep the cost low for farmers.鈥�

This work also contributes to a broader protocol for adapting other crops to indoor production, laying the groundwork for more resilient food systems. With increasing uncertainty due to climate change and global supply chain disruptions, increasing Canada鈥檚 capacity to grow food year-round, and decrease our dependence on imports.

While delivering high yields is important, Mattsson believes Canadians shouldn鈥檛 have to compromise on flavour or nutrition and the team is also working on improving the flavour content of the berries.

鈥淔lavour boils down to two things: sugar content, and then some flavouring compounds,鈥� he explains. 鈥淲e're going to try to get higher amounts of raspberry ketone, the flavouring agent that provides a specific raspberry flavour. We're aiming for that taste you remember from childhood, the way berries should&苍产蝉辫;迟补蝉迟别.鈥�

Delivered over six years and funded by the Weston Family Foundation, the $33 million Homegrown Innovation Challenge supports the development of tools and technologies to enable Canadian producers to grow berries out of season, sustainably and competitively. We believe that by accomplishing out-of-season berry production, we can also unlock solutions for myriad other fruits and vegetables.