Areas of Research
Breeding
New and novel plant varieties – Pipfruit, kiwifruit, stonefruit, berries, potatoes, brassicas, onions, peas, cereals, hops and ornamentals.
Conventional breeding – Over 300 hectares of research orchards and farms across New Zealand plus unique germplasm collections for key crops.
Functional genomics – Molecular biology, genetic mapping, marker assisted selection, bioinformatics, metabolic profiling.
Consumer and producer trait targets – Health, colour, texture, flavour, storage, flowering, shape, dwarfing, pest and disease resistance.
Postharvest
Smart packaging – Biosensors and consumer-friendly packaging including ripeSense, now marketed by Ripesense Limited.
Environmentally friendly pest and disease treatments and grading technologies – Heat treatment (water or air) for insect disinfestation or pathogen reduction. Near Infra-Red (NIR) and non-destructive firmness grading technologies.
Hi-tech storage – Modified atmosphere storage plus novel temperature manipulations and optimisation. Controlled atmosphere storage including dynamic CA storage.
Ripening control and monitoring – Ethylene treatments (pre-ripening or conditioning), Ethylene antagonists SmartFresh .
Freshcut innovation – Technology that supports fresh-cut solutions with added food safety.
Sustainability & Bioprotection
Carbon efficiency – Whole lifecycle analysis for key crops including kiwifruit and wine.
Soil ecology – Soil and water management and modelling. Risk assessment.
Crop management tools – Software tools that optimise inputs and interventions. CropLogic Potato Calculator and Spray Plan Manager.
Integrated pest and disease management – IPM and IFP systems.
Pollination – Artificial pollination, honeybee ecology, varroa mite resistance and natural varroa controls.
Non-chemical pest and disease control – Biocontrols, pheromone-based insect mating disruption and trapping, Sterile Insect Technique.
Insect biology - Biology, life history, behaviour and ecology of insects and mites.
Food & Health
Functional foods – Plant-based foods and food ingredients that offer consumers health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
Superfruits and high health vegetable cultivars – New, novel, natural plant cultivars with enhanced levels of health-promoting compounds.
Nutrigenomics and gastronomics – Customised foods tailored to the needs of individuals based on their genetic profile.
Sensory evaluation – Understanding and predicting future global consumer, market and technology trends through research into consumer behaviour and preferences.
High value seafoods – New harvesting, postharvest, processing and storage technologies that improve the texture, taste and shelf life of key finfish, shellfish and crustacean species.
Read more about this topic: Plant & Food Research
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