Lincoln based agri-tech company B-Hive Innovations along with 10 collaborators has secured £1 million of Innovate UK funding under the Farming Futures Initiative, part of DEFRA’s Farming Innovation Programme.

The project has been designed to tackle crop losses caused by Fusarium Basal Rot (FBR), a disease stemming from a soil-dwelling fungus. This two-year project is aiming to enhance the detection and management of FBR in onion crops, hoping to be able to identify the disease at its earliest possible stage on onion cultivation. FBR is responsible for up to 40% of crop losses in the sector, costing up to £10 million annually in the onion industry. Therefore, this research, being led by B-hive, a company within the UKFV, could have huge impacts across the UK.

Other partners in the consortium are VCS Agronomy and the Allium and Brassica Centre, alongside academic researchers from the University of Warwick, the agri-tech innovation centre CHAP (Crop Health and Protection), and the research team at RSK-ADS. Additional support will come from key players in the onion-growing sector, including Moulton Bulb, G’s Growers, Stourgarden, and Bedfordshire Growers.

More information on B-hive: https://www.b-hiveinnovations.co.uk/

More information on the project: https://www.fpcfreshtalkdaily.co.uk/post/defra-launches-1-million-initiative-to-tackle-onion-crop-rot

More information on other projects funded as part fo the Farming Futures Initiative: https://www.ukri.org/news/funding-boosts-farm-resilience/