Key Takeaways
- LettUs Grow joined the £2.4 million QuBOOSTR project focused on developing UK-based rubber production.
- The initiative targets dandelion-derived latex as a sustainable alternative to traditional rubber sources.
- The project is funded through the UK Government’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered with Innovate UK.
- The company will apply its Advanced Aeroponics™ and Aeroponic Rolling Bench™ technologies.
- The consortium brings together expertise from QuberTech, the John Innes Centre, and LettUs Grow.
LettUs Grow Expands Aeroponics Into Industrial Crops
LettUs Grow announced its participation in the QuBOOSTR consortium, a precision breeding initiative aimed at establishing a sustainable, UK-based source of natural rubber. The project focuses on domesticating dandelions, a plant that naturally produces latex in its root system, for use as an industrial rubber crop grown in controlled glasshouse environments.
The £2.4 million initiative is led by QuberTech in collaboration with the John Innes Centre and LettUs Grow. It is supported through the UK Government’s Farming Innovation Programme and delivered in partnership with Innovate UK. The project is designed to address climate-related risks and supply chain vulnerabilities affecting global rubber production.
LettUs Grow Role Within the QuBOOSTR Consortium
The QuBOOSTR project aims to overcome historical barriers that limited the commercial viability of dandelion-derived rubber. By combining gene-editing techniques with advanced analytical tools, the consortium seeks to increase latex yield and quality to commercially relevant levels.
LettUs Grow’s contribution centers on providing the controlled, soil-free growing environment required for high-density indoor cultivation. Its aeroponic systems are designed to enhance root development while allowing clean, efficient access to roots for harvesting and research purposes.
LettUs Grow Technology Enables Scalable Rubber Cultivation
The project will utilize LettUs Grow’s Aeroponic Rolling Bench™ technology, which delivers precise environmental control and streamlined crop handling. This system supports consistent growing conditions and enables researchers to study and optimize latex-producing roots at scale.
Jack Farmer, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of LettUs Grow, said: “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.”
Implications for UK Agriculture and Industrial Crops
The QuBOOSTR initiative highlights the potential for controlled-environment agriculture to support non-food, high-value industrial crops. By validating aeroponics as a viable production system for rubber, the project opens new opportunities for commercial growers to diversify operations while strengthening domestic supply chains.
The consortium expects the project to contribute to long-term innovation in UK agriculture and reduce reliance on imported rubber sources that are increasingly exposed to climate and geopolitical risks.
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