PFR Autogrow

l-r: Kieran Elborough and Darryn Keiller shake on the agreement

Plant & Food Research has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Auckland-headquartered ag-tech solutions companyAutogrow.

The pact signals the pair’s intention to collaborate in the development of protocols that maximise yield and enable continuous production of perennial fruits.

“We are incredibly excited to be working with Plant & Food Research and see collaborations like this as fundamental to furthering our industry, ultimately benefiting both growers and consumers,” said Autogrow CEO Darryn Keiller.

“Plant & Food Research are responsible for some of the best cultivars to come onto the global market and their science expertise combined with our knowledge of controlled environment agriculture will take perennial fruits to the next level,”

Autogrow’s director of plant science and agronomy, Tharindu Weeraratne, will head up Autogrow’s team as part of the MoU.

Kieran Elborough, general manager science – new cultivar innovation at Plant & Food Research, welcomed the new partnership, highlighting the benefits it will bring to the research institute’s breeding programmes.

“Working with a global company like Autogrow has the potential for us to match new breeding strategies with future growing systems that deal withnumerous horticultural challenges such as climate change, sustainable food production and reducing land availability,” Elborough explained.