12-04-2023, 06:07 PM
Chew Hui Min
12 Apr 2023 06:00AM
(Updated: 12 Apr 2023 11:47AM)
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The strawberries growing at Singrow’s indoor farm at the Science Park are derived from a Japanese varietal, but have been bred to grow in higher temperatures.
The fruit is the yummy result of years of research into how key genes affect plant growth by Singrow CEO and co-founder Bao Shengjie and his team.
The bespectacled scientist, who has a PhD in molecular biology from the National University of Singapore (NUS), is confident that they have developed the world’s first climate-resilient strawberries.
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While the fruit usually grows in cooler temperatures of 5 to 15 degrees Celsius, Singrow strawberries can thrive at around 20 to 28 degrees Celsius, said Dr Bao.
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While the conditions in an indoor farm can be adjusted, a higher temperature means lower electricity bills.
......
They also grow faster – going from the nursery to harvest in about two months, or about 30 per cent faster than the norm
......
That is due to a combination of agri-genomic technology – which accelerates the cross-breeding of the plants – and precision-farming techniques, to better monitor the condition of the plants and optimise their growth.
......
But strawberries are just the testbed for the technology. While Singrow’s small-scale farm supplies to some hotels here and sells its produce online, to ramp up production the agri-tech start-up is providing its plants and tech to larger farms in the region.
On Monday (Apr 11), it signed agreements with two farms – TreeGrow in Malaysia and and PREINO in Thailand – as part of its global expansion plans, and it is also branching out to China.
......
Singrow will provide the outdoor farms with its crop varieties, starting with strawberries. It will also work with the farms to improve their farming techniques for existing crops, with plans to reduce their fertiliser use by 30 per cent and pesticide use by 70 per cent.
......
Besides strawberries, it is also developing 30 other crop varieties, including rice, palm oil, saffron, cherry tomatoes and some types of leafy vegetables.
......
For example, 95 per cent of saffron is farmed in one country – Iran – using conventional practices, so the supply and quality are unstable, said Dr Bao.
“In our case, we are able to grow the saffron under a controlled environment,” he said. This has led to a harvest in four months – or about half the time it usually takes.
Better to read full report at: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapor...ie-3400761
12 Apr 2023 06:00AM
(Updated: 12 Apr 2023 11:47AM)
......
The strawberries growing at Singrow’s indoor farm at the Science Park are derived from a Japanese varietal, but have been bred to grow in higher temperatures.
The fruit is the yummy result of years of research into how key genes affect plant growth by Singrow CEO and co-founder Bao Shengjie and his team.
The bespectacled scientist, who has a PhD in molecular biology from the National University of Singapore (NUS), is confident that they have developed the world’s first climate-resilient strawberries.
......
While the fruit usually grows in cooler temperatures of 5 to 15 degrees Celsius, Singrow strawberries can thrive at around 20 to 28 degrees Celsius, said Dr Bao.
......
While the conditions in an indoor farm can be adjusted, a higher temperature means lower electricity bills.
......
They also grow faster – going from the nursery to harvest in about two months, or about 30 per cent faster than the norm
......
That is due to a combination of agri-genomic technology – which accelerates the cross-breeding of the plants – and precision-farming techniques, to better monitor the condition of the plants and optimise their growth.
......
But strawberries are just the testbed for the technology. While Singrow’s small-scale farm supplies to some hotels here and sells its produce online, to ramp up production the agri-tech start-up is providing its plants and tech to larger farms in the region.
On Monday (Apr 11), it signed agreements with two farms – TreeGrow in Malaysia and and PREINO in Thailand – as part of its global expansion plans, and it is also branching out to China.
......
Singrow will provide the outdoor farms with its crop varieties, starting with strawberries. It will also work with the farms to improve their farming techniques for existing crops, with plans to reduce their fertiliser use by 30 per cent and pesticide use by 70 per cent.
......
Besides strawberries, it is also developing 30 other crop varieties, including rice, palm oil, saffron, cherry tomatoes and some types of leafy vegetables.
......
For example, 95 per cent of saffron is farmed in one country – Iran – using conventional practices, so the supply and quality are unstable, said Dr Bao.
“In our case, we are able to grow the saffron under a controlled environment,” he said. This has led to a harvest in four months – or about half the time it usually takes.
Better to read full report at: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapor...ie-3400761