£2.4M project to domesticate dandelions for UK glasshouse-grown rubber

LettUs Grow has announced its participation in QuBOOSTR. This £2.4m precision breeding project is a collaboration between lead partner QuberTech, the John Innes Centre and LettUs Grow. The initiative is funded by the UK Government Defra's Farming Innovation Programme and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

© LettUs Grow

The QuBOOSTR project aims to domesticate dandelions, a plant that naturally produces latex in its root system, as a sustainable source of rubber for the UK. Historically, dandelion latex levels were too low to be commercially viable. However, this consortium is leveraging gene editing and analytical tools to optimise the plants for higher-grade production at scale. By combining the John Innes Centre's world-leading plant science with QuberTech's gene-editing expertise and LettUs Grow's Advanced Aeroponics technology, the partnership will optimise the crop for high-density, soil-less indoor farming.

For LettUs Grow, this project represents a significant expansion of aeroponic applications into "opportunity crops". Our Aeroponic Rolling Bench technology provides the precise, soil-free environment necessary to enhance root growth and allow for the clean and easy access required to harvest and study latex-producing roots. By proving the efficacy of aeroponics for industrial crops, we are opening new doors for commercial growers to diversify beyond food into high-value industrial commodities.

"LettUs Grow are very excited to commence this Innovate UK project, using our unique Aeroponic Rolling Bench technology to support Qubertech in their mission to boost resilience of the global rubber supply. By boosting crop performance and enabling clean and easy access to the crop roots, we believe this exciting R&D could further expand the market for high-tech glasshouse operators worldwide." - Jack Farmer, Co-Founder and CSO of LettUs Grow.