Bowery Farming, an American vertical farming company, has partnered with the University of Arkansas Horticulture Department to develop lettuce varieties.
Scientists from the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, a research arm of the Department of Horticulture, are conducting the study in collaboration with scientists from Bowery’s Research and Development Department. The company boasts of being the largest vertical farm in the United States in terms of retail sales.
Newton Kalengamaliro, Senior Horticultural Scientist, Bowery Farming Inc., and Haisheng Cheong, Ph.D. and program officer at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station
Bowery Farming sells pesticide-free leafy greens and herbs in more than 1,100 U.S. supermarkets and major e-commerce platforms, including Walmart and Whole Foods Market.
This year, the New York City-based company launched two varieties of strawberries. Bowery Farming is expanding in the U.S. with a new indoor smart farm in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, leveraging robotics, artificial intelligence and other technology for crop management.
Fast growing locations in the suburbs of Atlanta and Dallas
“The agreement with Bowery Farming underscores our commitment to improving agriculture through the use of advanced breeding technologies,” said Jean-Francois Mellenet, director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. “Collaborations like these are an example of the public-private research partnerships that the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station has pursued for decades as part of its mission as a state-funded university.”
The agreement with Bowery Farming focuses on developing high-yielding lettuce varieties and research on genetic markers for resistance to waterborne pathogens. crazy, as well as other favorable characteristics for indoor lettuce cultivation.
Crazy It is a fungal pathogen that causes rot and dieback diseases in indoor and outdoor cultivation. “At Arkansas, we’ve had a lettuce program for more than 50 years,” said Ainong Shi, senior lecturer and vegetable grower, noting that the university’s long history and expertise in growing lettuce led to Bowery’s early connection to agriculture.
Read the full article Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station.