Along with colleagues Dr Katherine Steele (College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University), our research student Dr James Stroud, and Simon Crawford (Burpee Europe) we attended a celebratory dinner last night in the new Arts complex, Pontio for the awards ceremony. We were finalists in the Best Business Innovation category sponsored by Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Products Ltd. In spite of stiff competition we were selected as winners!
Crimson Crush, a new blight-beating outdoor tomato bred using marker-assisted selection was commercialised by Burpee Europe and marketed by Suttons Seeds earlier this year. It is an early ripening selection of good size and with a superior taste. More than a million seeds have been sold for 2016 as it has proved popular with gardeners who no longer have access to toxic fungicides. Long live outdoor tomatoes!