10108534Precision Pollination for Higher Strawberry Productivity and QualityActiveCollaborative R&DInnovate UKThe project is a collaboration between Angus Soft Fruits, Agri-EPI Centre and Polybee. This combines experts and growers from the UK soft fruit industry, Agri-Tech innovation & development specialists, and a Singaporean partner with expertise in using innovative drone technology for pollination and crop imaging. Strawberry is a high value crop in the UK, worth £377m in 2022, over 30% 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. Two measures that determine the success of a strawberry crop for the growers and their customers are the quantity and quality of fruit produced. Fruit being supplied to retailer customers must meet specifications in terms of fruit size and shape, both of which are strongly influenced by pollination. If a strawberry flower is not successfully pollinated it does not develop into a class 1 fruit suitable for sale. Protected growing environments pose challenges with pollination of flowers by natural means, and commercial growers rely on the introduction of beehives into tunnels. These hives contain native species of bumblebees or honeybees. Even when pollinators are introduced to strawberry crops, there are situations when weather conditions or crop stage result in sub-optimal pollination leading to economic losses through a drop in yield or fruit quality. Polybee is a Singaporean company who have developed drone technology to aid pollination in food crops using changes in airflow to assist pollen movement around the flowers. The aim of this project is to introduce this technology into commercial UK strawberry crops with a view to improving the success and uniformity of flower pollination, especially at critical stages of the season when poor pollination can lead to reductions in yield and fruit quality, and subsequent drop in crop margins. By improving pollination, this project aims to benefit strawberry growers through improved yields of top-tier class 1 and premium fruit, and the potential to extend the UK production season. The benefits of this work will extend beyond the growers to their marketing groups and retail customers through increased production and surety of supply of high-quality fruit.