Enabling plants to direct themselves to optimal light utilization

Determining real-time the extent to which plants use the light they receive for photosynthesis, and control your greenhouse screens based on this data. This is made possible due to a collaboration between LetsGrow.com, PhenoVation, B-Mex and Hoogendoorn Growth Management. As a result of this collaboration a Dutch pot plant nursery increased its crop yield with 5%.

The CropObserver system from PhenoVation measures the photosynthesis efficiency in a cultivation area of 9 m2. Based on this measurement the CropObserver can determine the extent to which the crop uses the light it receives for the purpose of photosynthesis. Simultaneously the LetsGrow.com evaporation/stomata sensor monitors whether the stomata opens or closes. This provides information about the status of both the energy and water balance and tells you if your crop “feels good” or is “stressed”.

B-Mex, PhenoVation and LetsGrow.com together developed a model and combined this with the data of the sensor. The model uses this data to calculate the right light intensity for optimal plant growth in the current situation. Subsequently this information is sent to the Hoogendoorn Growth Management climate computer, which can open or close the climate screens in the greenhouse based on this information. The LetsGrow.com platform provides insight into all the data, providing the grower with an overview of what is happening in the greenhouse and for what reason.

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