AI-powered breeding targets indoor strawberry cultivation

Heritable Agriculture, Paul J. Mastronardi, and CIV (Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti) have announced a joint effort to develop strawberry genetics tailored for controlled environment agriculture. The program combines AI-driven breeding, high-performance germplasm, and commercial production insights to accelerate the delivery of new cultivars optimized for greenhouse and tabletop production systems. “By uniting germplasm, AI expertise, and advanced growing capabilities, this collaboration forges a synergy that surpasses what any single entity could accomplish alone”, says Paul.

Addressing challenges in greenhouse crop breeding
Traditional breeding programs take several years and millions of dollars to bring new cultivars to the market. Current strawberry breeding emphasizes field-growth and targets a limited number of traits. This results in inadequate control over essential characteristics such as taste, disease resistance, and productivity, which are key factors for successful greenhouse operations.

“We are already working with North America’s largest retailers to bring these innovations to their customers.” Paul J. Mastronardi said, “Greenhouse and tabletop environments vary widely, requiring tailored genetics and distinct growing protocols to optimize performance and meet market demands. We expect to bring novel varieties to the market that will deliver a premium quality experience for the consumer and retailer, while ensuring crop economics that will see farms thrive for generations.”

Innovative breeding: faster, more precise, and AI-powered
The partnership will use Heritable’s AI-driven predictive breeding technology for several tasks, including to predict crop performance through simulations, before strawberries are planted, to optimize traits that are important in greenhouse environments, such as taste, disease resistance, and yield, to develop varieties that streamline growth and management practices for indoor growers, and to reduce breeding timelines, bringing varieties to market faster.

Integrating genomics, AI, and production scale
The partnership integrates Heritable Agriculture’s predictive breeding models, CIV’s germplasm and breeding program, and Mastronardi’s indoor production assets and retail network. The collaboration is focused on streamlining the selection and introduction of strawberry cultivars that align with the operational realities of high-tech greenhouses.

“Unlike traditional breeding methods that often target field production and emphasize a narrow trait set, this initiative will leverage AI to optimize for multiple traits simultaneously. These include fruit flavor, disease resistance, postharvest performance, and overall yield—characteristics that are critical to the economics of indoor berry operations”, the partners share.

Tim Beissinger (Heritable CTO) and Joel Smith (Senior Computational Biologist) review AI-driven breeding outputs. (Photo credit: Yunus Emre Cakir)

Simulation-based breeding strategy
Heritable Agriculture’s predictive models are designed to simulate crop performance before seeds are sown. According to the company, the technology allows for accelerated selection cycles by identifying promising genotypes based on multi-omic data and historical performance across varying environments. The models are designed to be species-agnostic and are already applied to crops including tomato, spinach, and pepper.

“Indoor and tabletop systems require precision genetics and consistent performance,” said Paul J. Mastronardi. “This collaboration aims to meet those needs with targeted varietal development.” He added that the work is aligned with existing partnerships with North American retailers, signaling an intent to commercialize resulting varieties within established supply frameworks.

Leveraging established germplasm and R&D infrastructure
CIV brings over four decades of varietal development expertise and a library of elite strawberry germplasm to the program. The company has historically focused on traits such as productivity, fruit quality, and disease resistance, with selections tested across Europe and North America. Through the partnership, CIV aims to incorporate AI-based selection to expand and expedite its breeding pipeline.

“This program will provide tools to improve selection efficiency and expand the trait profiles we can develop,” said Federico Stanzani, CIV Managing Director. “The aim is to support the entire value chain with genetics tailored for protected cropping.”

Academic rerspective and industry integration
Prof. Bruno Mezzetti (Marche Polytechnic University) noted that the initiative reflects ongoing shifts in breeding methodologies. “This model integrates AI and traditional breeding to address challenges in variety development and market alignment,” Mezzetti said. “The involvement of international partners highlights the global nature of greenhouse horticulture and the need for innovation at multiple levels.”

Sector-wide implications
While the program is focused on strawberries, the partners suggest that the tools and models developed may have broader application. “Heritable Agriculture’s platform is adaptable to different crops and growing systems, presenting potential use cases for producers looking to diversify. As commercial greenhouse operators seek to differentiate product offerings and reduce input costs, precision breeding platforms like this may alter how new cultivars are brought to market.”