59 results for hort innovation

The future of innovation in horticulture is bright and will underpin the production of produce that is good for Australia and the world. 

Hort Innovation’s Head of R&D Byron de Kock said, “We strive for balance across our Research, Development and Extension program that represents more than $400 million of investment. At one end of the spectrum, we strive to transform and revolutionise through initiatives in biotechnology and robotics. At the other end, we seek to protect current production through biosecurity, crop protection, pest and disease control investments.”

Hort Innovation is working with a consortium, led by agricultural consultancy RMCG in partnership with University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and global urban agriculture consultancy Agritecture, to assess the potential of emerging production technology and its application in the Australian urban landscape as part of a six-month project. 

The benefits to growers and Australia by use of technology such as vertical farm systems and hydroponics is food production and delivery systems that have the potential to redefine horticulture by optimising yield, quality, and supply.

Bridging the gap between industry challenges and problem solvers, the AgTech and Logistics Hub is accelerating Australian agrifood innovation – supporting innovators to fast-track solutions to some of the sector’s biggest challenges. Its Open Innovation Challenge 2 is now open for innovators with solutions to reduce inorganic waste and plastics used in horticulture, and closes on 1 July, 2022. 

As it gets increasingly difficult to find reliable labour to pick acid-spurting mangoes in the tropical heat, a world-first automated harvester developed by Central Queensland University’s Fruitronics team and Hort Innovation, are now seeking commercial partnership from an agricultural equipment manufacturer.

Growing up on a vineyard fuelled Adrian Englefield’s love of the land and the agriculture industry. Now as a Regional Extension Manager for Hort Innovation, Adrian gets to help the next generation embrace ideas and harness opportunities, which support a thriving sector and sustainable workforce. 

Australian agrifood research is undergoing a renaissance, as industries look further afield to collaborate to address cross-sectoral challenges. By harnessing the visibility which grow^AG. provides, Research & Development Corporations like Sugar Research Australia and Hort Innovation are shifting gears and entering new territory.

Every strawberry season, researchers from the Australian Strawberry Breeding Program trial, taste and assess thousands of new varieties of strawberry developed through natural breeding to identify the best tasting and yielding fruit for Australia.

Funded by Hort Innovation in partnership with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the program supports the Australian strawberry industry by giving them access to improved, locally adapted superior varieties.   

Athena IR-Tech's irrigation sensing technology has proven to reduce water use by 35% in Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, and up to 75% in Shiraz grapes through monitoring plant transpiration. A unique opportunity now exists for investors and commercial partners to scale its global expansion in wine and horticulture regions.

Specialising in nutrient extraction technology to convert food waste into useable ingredients, has paid off for Whole Green Foods. The Western Australian startup is now raising a $2 million bridging round and seeking investment partners with interest in food tech, nutrition, waste reduction, including farmers with access to horticulture waste streams. Expressions of Interest close 31 August 2022.

Blue sky thinking by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation and the University of Western Sydney has uncovered a promising new plant-based compound for combatting common insect pests in cotton, horticulture and broadacre crops. A rare opportunity now exists for a commercial partner to further develop the early-stage biological pesticide with global market potential. Expressions of Interest close Sunday, 31 July 2022. 

The National Tree Genomics program is in the final stages of sequencing over 300 macadamia wild and cultivated varieties.

The national program harnesses cutting-edge genetic technologies for the benefit of Australian horticultural tree crop industries. New tools are currently being developed that will equip Australian plant breeders to deliver new varieties with key productivity and profitability traits. New tools will also stem from this program for growers to enhance farm productivity.

With more than 150 years of research and development under its belt, Bayer Crop Science is taking a collaborative approach when it comes to the future of agriculture. As part of its commitment to driving change and nurturing novel solutions, Bayer has launched three Grants4Ag opportunities, open now and closing 31 July, 2022.  

In a captivating discussion at AgriFutures evoke^AG. 2024, international panellists, Peter Wren-Hilton and Rebecca Robinson together with Harriet Mellish, explored how AgriFutures grow^AG. is helping ignite global connections and the value of partnering with Australia.

Australia’s livestock export industry is on the hunt for viable agritech solutions to drive efficiencies and economic benefits across the supply chain. Using Open Innovation, the Livestock Export RD&E Program are now seeking submissions to six key challenges.

This month marks one year since the launch of AgriFutures grow^AG. and it’s been a successful 12-months for the platform and its users – particularly for Wine Australia, who have been garnering significant traction and collaboration to commercialise high-value technology. 

When it comes to innovation and technology in the agrifood sector, Australia is on the edge of immense opportunity despite a global downturn in investment in startups and scale-ups last year. That’s according to the new General Manager of AgriFutures Global Innovation Networks (GIN), Harriet Mellish.

Investment in research and development is sowing the seeds of a bright new future for Australia’s agricultural sector. Here’s a quick look at six agtech innovations that could change the way we farm in the years to come.  

Finding world-leading agrifood research expertise, and research, investment and commercialisation opportunities easily, let alone in one easy-to-use location, was always a challenge – until AgriFutures grow^AG..

Harnessing the power of lightning to advance the science of food production may seem like an impossible task, but a pair of Cairns-based entrepreneurs are turning that dream into reality with Rainstick, an agritech innovation that’s helping speed up growth rates, increase yield and stop mould before it sets in.

As the largest agricultural research and development organisation in the world, Bayer Crop Science is at the forefront of innovation. Phil Taylor, the Director of Open Innovation and Outreach for Bayer Crop Science delves into their approach to unlocking ‘cool innovation’ and how grow^AG. is helping to harness these novel solutions that will benefit growers around the world, including Australia.