A groundbreaking project aimed at exploring the role drone technology can play in improving yield, fruit quality and forecasting in UK strawberry production is a pivotal step towards enhancing food security.
The project, Precision Pollination for Higher Strawberry Productivity and Quality, offers a strong consortium comprising the UK Agri-Tech Centre, Angus Soft Fruits and Polybee, with funding support from Innovate UK.
This combines expert berry growers from the UK, agri-tech innovation and development specialists and a Singaporean partner with expertise in using innovative drone technology for pollination and crop imaging.
Fresh Strawberries are a high value crop in the UK, worth £377m in 2022, over 30 percent of the total UK fruit value (Defra, 2023).
Most commercial UK crops are grown under protection in structures such as polytunnels or glasshouses to provide optimal conditions for the plants to grow and fruit to develop. (more…)