UK crop biostimulant developer SugaROx has been selected for the inaugural H.A.R.V.E.S.T. AgTech programme, a global initiative led by The Yield Lab Institute in the US to accelerate the development and commercialisation of next-generation agricultural technologies.
The Harpenden-based venture is one of just seven companies chosen globally, reflecting growing international interest in its technology for crop stimulation.
Through the programme, SugaROx will work with University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) Innovate and F3 Local to test its first biostimulant in tomato field trials in California. This follows earlier testing in tomatoes under glasshouse conditions in the UK, with support from Innovate UK.
At the core of SugaROx’s first biostimulant is a proprietary “chemical caging” technology, which enables natural bioactivators that regulate key metabolic processes and stress responses to be delivered effectively into plant cells via standard agricultural applications such as foliar sprays.
The product contains a caged version of trehalose-6-phosphate (T6P), a plant sugar known for its role in regulating carbon use and allocation. The product is currently undergoing field trials in the UK with a small but expanding group of wheat farmers.
While SugaROx’s primary focus remains on broadacre crops such as wheat – the backbone of UK farming – validation in crops like tomatoes highlights the broader potential of its technology across different farming systems.
The H.A.R.V.E.S.T. programme will support SugaROx’s ability to advance the commercial launch of T6P, validating its platform technology in a real-world agricultural environment. This is an important step as the company prepares for its upcoming Series A funding round.
Dr Cara Griffiths, CTO at SugaROx, said: “This collaboration comes at a pivotal point in our journey. With production of our caged T6P now scaled to pilot level, we are moving into broader field validation. From wheat in the UK to tomatoes in the US, heat stress is becoming an increasingly common challenge, and growers are looking for practical, in-season tools to protect both yield and crop quality.”
A spokesperson for The Yield Lab Institute added: “SugaROx’s precise, science-based approach to crop stimulation is exactly the kind of innovation we aim to support through H.A.R.V.E.S.T. The US is the fourth-largest tomato producer globally, with California at the heart of that industry, making it an ideal environment to validate technologies with the potential to scale internationally.”
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