Dec 4, 2025

Collaboration nets 110 new indoor strawberry lines via AI-assisted breeding

A consortium featuring Red Sun Farms, Heritable Agriculture and Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti (CIV) have announced significant progress in a collaboration to develop new and novel indoor-grown strawberry varieties at the Vineland Research Station facility.

The partnership combines CIV’s expertise in strawberry genetics and germplasm, Heritable Agriculture’s Artificial Intelligence-driven breeding models, and Red Sun Farms’ indoor growing knowledge.

The partners believe that by using AI simulations to predict crop performance, the group can streamline breeding timelines and optimize several key traits for greenhouse production. This innovative breeding technique enables high-quality, innovative strawberry varieties to come to market faster, according to the group.

Heritable Agriculture says its predictive AI technology generalizes across species, environments and traits, making it adaptable to almost any agricultural operation. Paired with Red Sun Farms’ vertically integrated model and CIV’s breeding capabilities, the collaboration strives to set a new benchmark in indoor fruit innovation.

A key differentiator within the initiative is the early involvement of eight retail partners representing more than 8,000 North American store locations. The group believes that by bringing retailers into the breeding process, the project can connect consumer insights and market needs with advanced technology. This ensures new varieties are optimized not only for performance but also for taste, texture and shopper appeal, the group says.

Recently, a group of retail partners joined the research team at Vineland for an exclusive first look at more than 110 strawberry breeding lines in development. Through guided sensory evaluations, retail representatives provided feedback to shape the next phase of selection and innovation.

“We’re bringing AI solutions to indoor growers, beginning with greenhouse strawberries,” added Davide Sosso, chief scientific officer, Heritable Agriculture. “This work is setting a new standard for strawberry flavor and quality, which is why retailers were here this week to learn more.”

“Providing our germplasm and integrating it with Heritable’s predictive models, Red Sun’s cultivation expertise, and the research capabilities of Vineland Research lets us speed up indoor breeding, optimize key traits and develop varieties that can excel in greenhouses from the earliest stages,” said Federico Stanzani, general manager, CIV.