Chrysanthemums are one of the Netherlands' most economically significant crops, second only to tulips, with a cultivation area of close to 5 million m² and around 140 dedicated growers concentrated in Gelderland and Noord- & Zuid-Holland. The sector exports hundreds of millions of euros worth of product each year.
Despite significant advances in automation across the cultivation cycle, one step has consistently resisted every attempt at mechanization: the harvest. Cutting, lifting, sorting, and bunching chrysanthemum stems has remained almost entirely manual, physically demanding, labor-intensive, and increasingly difficult to staff in a tightening labor market.
© TTA-ISO
Introducing the HVC (Harvester Chrysanthemum)
TTA-ISO, Horizon Technologies, and Linflowers are jointly developing the HVC — a fully integrated, automated system that handles the complete harvesting and processing workflow. Stems are cut just above the ground using a precision cutting system, then lifted and transported along the greenhouse bed via conveyor. From there, stems are classified into 3–4 quality categories using Vision technology and load cells, before being automatically grouped into bunches of 5, ready for further processing.
A key design principle of the HVC is that it integrates with the existing greenhouse infrastructure, including the standard overhead heating rails and mother cart already present in every chrysanthemum greenhouse. This keeps investment costs low and accelerates adoption.
Horizon Technologies is cooperating in the harvesting robot development and leads the prototype and development of the cutter. Linflowers serves as the test location, providing end-user input and acting as the launching customer.
The project runs from April 2025 through March 2027. By the end of the project, the HVC will have been fully validated in an operational chrysanthemum greenhouse (TRL 8) and prepared for commercial market introduction.
For more information:
TTA-ISO
[email protected]
www.tta-iso.com
