New partnership creates strawberry improvement programme

Heritable Agriculture, Paul J Mastronardi, and Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti (CIV) have announced that they have partnered to develop an advanced strawberry improvement program for greenhouse and tabletop varieties.

According to the group, the partnership represents ”a trifecta of expertise and capabilities essential for a successful breeding programme”.

It marries the genetics and germplasm knowledge of CIV, the AI-driven breeding models and machine learning expertise of Heritable Agriculture, and the production assets, distribution network, and leadership in indoor strawberry production of Paul J Mastronardi, they noted.

”By uniting germplasm, AI expertise, and advanced growing capabilities, this collaboration forges a synergy that surpasses what any single entity could accomplish alone.”

Traditional breeding programmes took several years and millions of dollars to bring new cultivars to the market, the statement continued.

Current strawberry breeding emphasised field-growth and targets a limited number of traits, resuting in “inadequate control” over essential characteristics such as taste, disease resistance, and productivity.

“We are already working with North America’s largest retailers to bring these innovations to their customers,” said Paul J Mastronardi.

“Greenhouse and tabletop environments vary widely, requiring tailored genetics and distinct growing protocols to optimise performance and meet market demands.

”We expect to bring novel varieties to the market that will deliver a premium quality experience for the consumer and retailer, while ensuring crop economics that will see farms thrive for generations,” Mastronardi explained.

The partnership will use Heritable’s AI-driven predictive breeding technology to predict crop performance through simulations, before strawberries are planted; optimise traits that are important in greenhouse environments, such as taste, disease resistance, and yield; develop varieties that streamline growth and management practices for indoor growers; and reduce breeding timelines, bringing superior varieties to market faster.

The AI-driven breeding programme optimises both grower and consumer traits simultaneously, with breeding simulations and predictions drastically reducing breeding cycle timelines.

By partnering with Paul J Mastronardi for operational and market leadership, and CIV for their world-class germplasm, Heritable said it was set to ”transform the strawberry market”.

“Our approach empowers greenhouse and tabletop growers to break free from traditional breeding limitations,” said Dr Brad Zamft, CEO of Heritable Agriculture.

“Partnering with Paul J Mastronardi and CIV allows us to push the boundaries of what’s possible for greenhouse crop optimisation.”

With over 40 years of experience in the R&D of new varieties, CIV has established itself as a leader in strawberry cultivation.

“A partnership of this scale provides a unique opportunity for CIV to drive and speed-up our traditional breeding process at the service of all value chain players” said Federico Stanzani, CIV’s managing director.

“This collaboration is a confirmation of CIV’s continuous commitment to delivering cutting-edge solutions and achieving the highest quality standards to swiftly meet the market demands.”

Through its breeding programme, CIV brings expertise and a rich germplasm collection to the partnership, with the ultimate goal of developing the perfect strawberry – one that ”seamlessly combines exceptional flavour with outstanding productivity”.

“The recent synergy between Heritable, the Italian Consortium CIV, and Paul J Mastronardi represents a significant challenge to demonstrate the role that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can play in improving the breeding capabilities of an organisation like CIV and the market sustainability of a company like Paul J Mastronardi,” said professor Bruno Mezzetti of Marche Polytechnic University.

“The involvement of an Italian company in such an ambitious program should serve as an impetus to showcase the potential of our enterprises by facilitating access to new technologies.”

Mastronardi called the partnership “a paradigm shift” for the greenhouse sector.

“Our work with Heritable Agriculture and CIV not only reimagines how we breed strawberries but also sets the stage for a new era of greenhouse crop innovation.”