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Indoor Strawberry Production Gains Ground With New Partnership

By CEAg World|April 11, 2025
Initiative Image

A new partnership involving Heritable Agriculture, Paul J. Mastronardi, and Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti (CIV) aims to develop a strawberry improvement program for greenhouse and tabletop varieties. This partnership 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, President and CEO of Mastronardi Produce.

Addressing Challenges in Greenhouse Crop Breeding

Traditional breeding programs often take several years and millions of dollars to bring new cultivars to the market. Current strawberry breeding emphasizes field-growth and targets a limited number of traits. This results in inadequate control over essential characteristics such as taste, disease resistance, and productivity, which are key factors for successful greenhouse operations.

Innovative Breeding: Faster, More Precise, and AI-Powered

The partnership will use Heritable’s AI-driven predictive breeding technology to:

  • Predict crop performance through simulations before strawberries are planted.
  • Optimize 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.
  • Reduce breeding timelines, bringing superior varieties to market faster.

Heritable’s AI-driven breeding program optimizes both grower and consumer traits simultaneously, and its breeding simulations and predictions drastically reduce breeding cycle timelines. By partnering with Paul J. Mastronardi for operational and market leadership, and CIV for germplasm, Heritable is set to improve the strawberry market.

Heritable Agriculture’s multi-omic, AI-driven predictive models generalize across species, environments, and traits, making the approach highly adaptable to any operation. The technology extends to crops such as tomatoes, spinach, and peppers, offering an opportunity for growers looking to diversify and innovate.

For more, continue reading at CEAgWorld.com.

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