Research Brief: Success with Indoor Blueberries
May 21, 2025 
Photo courtesy of Rob Eddy
Researchers at Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Canada have successfully grown a crop of blueberries indoors during the winter – an accomplishment that has yet to be achieved on a large scale. Jim Mattsson, Ph.D., professor of plant functional genomics, leads the study, which aims to develop new varieties and growing methods for CEA blueberries.
Blueberries have complex requirements for pollination, pruning, and nutrition, making them a challenging crop to grow. In SFU’s Biotech Greenhouse, researchers used tightly controlled lighting and temperature conditions to induce flower buds on blueberry bushes, then switched to warm, summer-like conditions for the remainder of the growing cycle. The bushes have been producing berries since January, and production will continue through the end of this month.
The SFU team is using gene editing to create blueberry varieties that are better suited for CEA production. Researchers are trying to introduce two traits into the blueberries: one that will make the blueberry bushes smaller so they’re easier to manage, and another that will produce fruit faster.
To facilitate the development of technologies and techniques for indoor blueberry cultivation, the university is working closely with BeriTech, an ag tech company dedicated to providing off-season fresh berries at scale in Canada. Together, SFU and BeriTech aim to make these new blueberry varieties viable for commercial growers.
For more information about the project, go here: https://www.sfu.ca/science/news/2025-news/blueberry-research-bears-fruit-at-sfu-greenhouses.html.
