A WORLD-famous jam producer whose history dates back centuries is using 21st century cutting-edge technology to improve its crops.

Wilkin & Sons will work with scientists at Essex University on the project which aims to prevent their strawberry crops becoming diseased.

The firm, which has farmed in Tiptree for nearly 300 years, won funding as part of a Knowledge Transfer Partnership, a UK Government-led scheme helping businesses and universities collaborate.

The funding will help Wilkin & Sons and the university combine research on plant disease using techniques to capture strawberry crop disease by using drones and artificial intelligence.

It ultimately hopes to reduce the amount of disease and improve yield.

The project will see wireless sensor networks and computer vision used to predict disease outbreaks and target infected crops quickly should diseases, such as botrytis and mildew, arise.

Chris Newenham, joint managing director at Wilkin & Sons, said: “Innovation is key to business growth, whether it’s on our farm, in our factory, or the way that we treat people and adapt our products.

“We continue to explore ways to improve the management and sustainability of our farm. We value the expertise of Essex University and look forward to working with them.”