Projects with industry

The Agriculture Research and Innovation (AGRI) Centre collaborates extensively with farms, agritech solution providers, startups, government agencies, research institutions and institutions of higher learning to address challenges of urban farms and develop agritech innovations to advance the agriculture value chain.

Highlights

Enabling effective insect pollination for indoor strawberry cultivation with Cuprina Pollination Services

Strawberries require efficient pollination by insects such as honeybees or bumblebees to produce bigger and uniform fruit shapes. In an indoor setting, it can be challenging for these insects to navigate and laborious for manual pollination by hand, leading to operational complications and high production costs.

RP and Cuprina Pollination have developed a novel approach using blowflies to pollinate strawberries in an indoor environment. This method offers a more cost-effective solution and improves fruit quality compared to manual pollination. The solution employs patented technology to guide the insects under LED lights and provides them with precise conditions to complete the pollination task, resulting in the development of high-quality fruits in a more natural way.

Turning flower waste into greener incense with Biophilic

Every year, 221,000 tons of horticulture waste are produced in Singapore. A large amount of floral waste produced by plant nurseries, gardens, and temples is largely disposed of and incinerated at a high cost.

Researchers at RP have developed eco-incense formulations that use up to 40% flower waste as their combustible material. Compared to commercially available incense, this eco-incense significantly reduces harmful particulate matter and compounds. Biophilic is now expanding its venture of upcycling the flower waste into eco-incense with temples and incense manufacturers.

Our projects

Read more about our projects below and reach out to AGRI Centre to explore avenues for collaboration.

Dwarf tomato variety

High value tomato for indoor farms

Scientists at AGRI Centre developed a new cherry tomato variety for indoor farm cultivation. This high-yield variety is an indeterminate type that takes up a small footprint. It also produces uniquely shaped fruits that are juicy and mildly sweet.

High nutrient leafy greens

Optimised nutrient formulation for improving crop yield

This project addresses the challenge of differentiating local leafy greens from imported produce by developing high-yielding, nutrient-dense crops optimised for local cultivation. By implementing nature-based innovations such as bio-stimulants to enhance crop growth and resilience and applying bio-fortification techniques to optimise plant nutrient content, AGRI Centre can customise crops that have improved yield and nutrient content. This approach enables local farms to differentiate their produce and improve farm profitability.

Aeroponics growing system

Cultivating high-value crops with fewer resources

Our innovative aeroponic system enables the cultivation of high-value crops, such as strawberries, while minimising resource usage. This advanced technology optimises water and nutrient use, ensuring sustainable, high-yield production in a controlled, resource-efficient environment.

Improved vegetable shelf-life

Pre-harvest treatment for shelf-life extension and nutrient preservation

Pre-harvest treatments with natural and bio-based growth stimulants and efficient light recipes using a combination of light intensity, spectral quality and photo period during cultivation, can improve the biomass, minimise the nutrient and quality loss and extend the shelf life of the harvested vegetables. Using these results, our scientists can assess the bio-active compounds in the bio-stimulant to understand the mechanisms of shelf-life extension in crops.

SG GAP + SG C&G Certification

Services and support for local farms to achieve Two-Star GAP Certification Mark and Three-Star C&G Certification Mark

Our team of experts can guide local farms in implementing the SG Good Agriculture Practice (SG GAP) Standard and SG Clean and Green Urban Farms (SG C&G) Standard requirements, enabling farms to attain certification promoted by Singapore Food Agency.

The SG GAP mark ensures food safety and production traceability practices, while the SG C&G mark certifies that the farm produces crops sustainably. These certifications enhance the branding of farm produce and improve marketability to consumers.

Productivity improvement

Optimising farm operations and improving yield

AGRI Centre works closely with farms to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement in their operations and production. From system optimisation and seed selection to formulating a new light recipe, AGRI Centre tailors solutions specific to each farm's crops and cultivation system. Farms can expect a 20% improvement in productivity, leading to higher output and production volumes.

Smart solutions for farms

Optimised light use efficiency using sensor technology

Research engineers at AGRI Centre developed a smart solution to enable efficient use of supplementary lighting for indoor farming. Using sensors to detect changes in natural light intensity, our integrated system adjusts the LED light's output accordingly. This allows crops to receive the optimum amount of light based on weather conditions, without increasing the electricity use excessively.

Solutions for industry

Unlock the potential of IoT through smart connectivity

Designed to seamlessly monitor the entire farm, this Internet of Things (IoT) software architecture establishes a framework for autonomous exchange of data between IoT devices.

Low-energy HVAC system for indoor farming and greenhouses

A unique Low-Energy HVAC system for farming. It can cool, heat, dehumidify, and ventilate any enclosed space using up to 100% outdoor air exchange.

Design of multi-layer aeroponic indoor farming module for unmanned operations

A multi-layer aeroponics system with precise control over nutrition supply and spray frequency to cultivate cherry tomatoes.

Tomato variety for Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)

A new cultivar that will be suitable for both greenhouse/indoor cultivation and potted culture.

Optimised nutrient formulation for improving crop yield

Optimised nutrient recipes that enhance crop growth and reduce common problems caused by imbalanced nutrients.

Predictive analytics LED software for indoor farming

A horticultural artificial intelligence powered LED system that can optimise energy cost and improve crops yield. The system can be remotely controlled and allows farmers to analyse daily light integral and formulate their own ‘light’ recipes.