RoboSE – Automation for elite tree production

The growing forest bioeconomy needs more wood, and the demand for high-quality raw materials can be met by developing advanced technologies for seedling production. The vegetative propagation allows the production of high quality, well-known, uniform quality forest regeneration material for various uses. The somatic embryos production method, which has been refined in previous projects, now enables the production of spruce elite seedlings, and the research and production facilities that allow for higher production volumes have been designed and implemented in Savonlinna in cooperation between Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) and the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences (Xamk).

The automated embryo selection and transfer system has also been designed for the prototype stage. XAMK and Luke are focusing on developing automation, sensor and process technology solutions to enable the business of the elite seedling mass production system. XAMK will continue to develop a previously developed prototype, which Luke will test and evaluate based on its deep expertise in the production of elite seedlings. The aim is to get the prototype for use in practical tests and to find out the commercial potential of the method.