Plant and Food Research
| Rangahau Ahumāra Kai | |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2008 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Headquarters | 120 Mt Albert Road, Sandringham, Auckland |
| Agency executives |
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| Website | www |
Plant & Food Research (Māori: Rangahau Ahumāra Kai) is a New Zealand Crown Research Institute (CRI). Its purpose is to enhance the value and productivity of New Zealand's horticultural, arable, seafood and food & beverage industries. The interests of the institute are based in horticulture, arable and seafood research, specifically in the areas of sustainable production, bioprotection, elite genetics & intelligent breeding, food and health science and biomaterials.
The institute was formed on 1 December 2008 by merging existing CRIs HortResearch and Crop and Food Research. Plant & Food has over 900 staff based at sites throughout New Zealand as well as science and business development staff working in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.
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.
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