Horticultural crop production in vertical farms located in urban areas can reduce the environmental footprint of food production that is challenged by reducing fertile land and increasing global population. However, only limited number of current crops are suitable for profitable production in vertical setting, the major barriers being slow growth cycle and suboptimal plant architecture that limit the maximum yield. In this project, through genome editing of a few genes that we identified in a previous project, we will generate novel type of strawberry plants with optimized architecture, continuous berry production and high yield. These plants, together with optimized growing protocols developed during the project, will enable vertical farming of strawberry, allowing stable, sustainable, year-round supply of this healthy food. We will also organize various stakeholder events to facilitate the utilization of developed plant materials and strawberry vertical farming protocols.

2025

2026