December 2020 - 37

CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE
food supplies globally. Indoor farms
like Plenty are resilient to climatic
variation, have flexible production
models, and streamline supply chains.
VGN: It would seem to me that
the strawberry plant, being smaller,
would be easier to farm indoors than,
say, blueberries. Can the plants just
nestle in vertical media, similar to how
greens are grown indoors?
MS: We do anchor our strawberries
in vertical media, similar to our
greens. We believe that most crops,
blueberries included, can be produced
indoors. To grow more crops indoors,
both cultivars
and varieties will
need to be tested
to see which
ones thrive in
these types of
environments.
There are many
more varieties
than what
consumers
buy on
MIKE
SCHWIETERMAN
shelves. Growing indoors gives us
the opportunity to try varieties that
consumers haven't had the chance to
experience. This is a continued focus
of our R&D efforts.
While the size of strawberry plants,
like leafy greens, make them ideal
candidates for indoor farming, they
do require a precise and dynamic
environment. The long production
cycles, complex crop development and
environment interactions, continuous
harvesting, and requirements for
propagation present many challenges
when compared to the fast growing,
seed-born leafy greens.
VGN: Who at Plenty is heading up
this project?
MS: We have an amazing crossfunctional
team working on
strawberries spanning our Laramie,
Wyoming, and south San Francisco,
California, facilities led by myself
along with Dan Schreiber and Paul
Kreiner. I grew up on my family
farm and pursued an interest in plant
sciences and a passion for flavor in
my graduate studies at the University
of Florida before joining the berry
industry. At Plenty, I can combine my
industry and technical experience to
drive flavor in the lab and the farm to
great effect.
VGN: Would it be safe to call this
hydroponic growing?
MS: Definitely!
VGN: Many indoor greens and
tomato growers I've interviewed make
claims about being able to grow for
a particular taste. Are the growing
conditions for the strawberries part
of what you're researching, and what
is the potential there for strawberry
taste?
MS: We have a thorough
understanding of the chemistry and
biology underlying strawberry flavor,
which means we can optimize for
specific profiles with precision in a
controlled environment. Our research
VGN | DECEMBER 2020 | 37
and development pipeline includes
screening, optimizing environmental
growing conditions, nutritional
profiles, and an intensive focus on
lighting. This research will ultimately
provide the recipe and farm design to
grow a sweet and intensely flavorful
strawberry. We think this product will
truly differentiate from other offerings
in the produce aisle.
VGN: What are some characteristics
you as a team would be looking for in a
new strawberry variety?
MS: We see a divide between
consumer experience and expectations
when it comes to strawberries. Our
research program screens varieties for
flavor first as well as key components
of yield and plant performance.
The diversity of strawberry genetics
available presents a great opportunity
to deliver many strawberry products
to consumers, such as classic sweet
and tangy, small berries with wild and
exotic flavors, or novel colored fruit.
We also put an emphasis on varieties
that are efficient to grow, maintain,
and harvest. With our protected
growing environment, we place extra
emphasis on flavor, texture and color
over varieties bred for tolerance of
disease and other field stress.
VGN: Can you explain how the
development process will work -
would it be comparable to field trials?
MS: Our development process does
have similarities to field trials but also
follows many technology development
principles. We optimize production for
desired phenotypes by manipulating
the environment, management, and
the production system. We gain huge
advantages with the level of control
we have over our environment and
the accelerated pace facilitated by a
continuous production. Right now, our
focus is on continually improving and
driving flavor and quality. VGN
December 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2020
