Pymoor firm CN Seeds has been awarded almost £40,000 by the Agri-Tech Growth Initiative to pilot a new variety of vegetable.

The company, which supplies a range of herb, vegetable and plant seeds, will use the money to purchase specialist equipment needed to develop of a new variety of wild rocket.

The company was established in 1990 and has grown rapidly from a small family-run operation into an international exporter.

Mark Hodgkinson from CN Seeds Ltd, said: “The funding will enable us to pilot a new breeding programme which, if successful, will help the company to overcome one of its biggest challenges in relation to developing new products, the length of time it takes to develop a new variety.

“The pilot will begin within the company’s established wild rocket product range, and will involve integrating marker assisted selection into the breeding programmes through trialing new high tech equipment and utilising the services of local experts in the field of plant genetics.

“The desired outcome will be to make significant savings in both time and resources through being more accurate and consistent.”

Eastern Agri-Tech grants are available to organisations looking to invest in new market and supply chain development, ways to improve productivity and efficiency, and the progression of research and development.

You can find out more by visiting www.agritechgrants.co.uk or calling 01480 277180.