Over £560,000 will go towards accelerating breeding for indoor lettuce, while more than £300,000 will fund new light pulsing tech in vertical farming
The James Hutton Institute (JHI) has secured £2.4m from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to fund three of its farming research projects.
According to the institute, £562,000 will go towards developing genetic tools to accelerate breeding for indoor lettuce, while £305,000 will fund new light pulsing technologies in vertical farming.
JHI is also undertaking research into medicinal cannabis, which has received £350,000 through the BBSRC grant.
The BBSRC is a non-departmental public body, and is the largest UK public funder of non-medical bioscience.
Support for the projects from industry partners totals £1.22m, bringing the total value for the projects to £2.4m.
The three initiatives are designed to “transform horticultural practice” and use modern breeding approaches to further new products and services.
All three projects will take place at the institute’s newly established Advanced Plant Growth Centre (APGC) at its Invergowrie site near Dundee. The facility has a focus on sustainability, advanced pharmaceutical applications, and genetic research.
The APGC is also part of the Tay Cities Regional Deal partnership and is supported by £45m from the UK government and £17m from the Scottish government.
APCG director Derek Stewart said the vertical farming project could “prove vital in the future food security and sustainability of this nation”, adding: “We hope the success of these projects will be felt for many years to come.”
