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Your Day at Fruit for the Future

From early tours to afternoon tea, here's how the day unfolds. Pop it in your diary, or better yet, just turn up and follow the crowd.

13:00 – 14:00 Early bird pre-event tours
Optional visits to the High-Throughput Phenotyping Platform and our campus partners IGS. Arrive early and see the science behind the scenes.
14:00 Welcome address & introduction to exhibitors
Kicking things off in the main event space, with a look at who's exhibiting and what to expect from the afternoon.
From 14:40 Field tour departs
The tour will include:
  • A talk on our raspberry and blackberry breeding programme - advanced selections and updates from Nikki Jennings, Fruit Breeder at Hutton Scientific Services
  • 'Spot the Dog' - a robot dog demonstration in the blackcurrant and honeyberry field
  • A specialist fruit grower machinery display and demonstration from Kirkland UK, featuring the Autonomous BURRO and the Rootwave electric weeder
  • A talk from Carolyn Mitchell - Harnessing Ecology for Berry Protection: Managing Aphids and Spotted Wing Drosophila in Soft Fruit Crops 
From 16:30 Fruit tasting & afternoon tea
Back in the main event space: scones with jam and cream, ice cream, sorbet, and tea and coffee, alongside a spot of fruit tasting to round off the day.

Please note: tour timings are approximate and may vary slightly on the day.

Field Tour Trail Fruit for the Future 2026 – tour led by Nikki Jennings, HSS Walking tour 1 Raspberry & blackberry talk Nikki Jennings, HSS 2 National Robotarium Featuring Spot the Dog 3 Kirkland UK machinery demo BURRO & Rootwave weeder 4 Ecological insights Carolyn Mitchell, JHI 5 Fruit tasting & afternoon teas Main event space Illustrative map for guidance only – on-site signage and stewards will help point the way.
F4F Sponsors and Exhibitors-Jul-01-2026-10-30-50-3732-AM