Bowery, Unfold to partner on vertical farming-focused varieties

Controlled-environment agriculture needs deep collaborations, like Unfold and Bowery's, to unlock the immense potential value of the industry. The lack of broadly available industry expertise has caused many vertical farms to rely on suboptimal seeds, receiving a lower return on investment for their produce. Bowery's world-class team of agricultural scientists and engineers will partner with Unfold's plant biology experts, and leverage its digital tools, germplasm, and best-of-breed seeds to cultivate new plant varieties for its customers.

"The partnership will give us an even stronger foundation to address the biggest food challenges facing our world, from sustainability and food security to year-round access to nutritious produce," says Henry Sztul, Chief Science Officer at Bowery. "With our R&D team working alongside Unfold, we will expand the wide variety of crops we can grow in Bowery's indoor controlled environments, which will ultimately benefit the broader industry."

The resulting plant varieties will increase Bowery's produce output while lowering the production costs, making vegetables more accessible to everyone. Bowery has identified two new higher-yielding Romaine varieties available exclusively from Unfold that it aims to trial in early 2023.

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Photo Courtesy of Bowery

Source: Greenhouse Grower