GREEN-SENSE

What is the objective of this project:

Within GREEN-SENSE, we are taking major steps towards autonomous cultivation, enabling the most efficient possible use of energy, labour and nutrients. We are doing this by developing and deploying advanced sensor technologies in the greenhouse. Our focus is on new sensors that are crucial for data-driven and ultimately autonomous cultivation, with an emphasis on affordability, robustness and integration into existing sensor networks.

Initially, we are focusing on tomatoes, the most important fruit crop grown under glass in the region. Tomato cultivation is a complex process in which plant-oriented sensors have a high potential for application and can provide significant added value. In this way, GREEN-SENSE contributes to the energy efficiency and overall sustainability of the greenhouse horticulture sector in Flanders and the Netherlands. The developments and demonstrations within GREEN-SENSE will promote the use of advanced technologies in the sector and stimulate cross-sectoral innovation capacity within the region.

How will we achieve this:

To achieve these objectives, we are focusing on eight new sensor technologies, at different TRL levels, which will be further developed in WP3: 

• a motion sensor to detect plant stress
• a leaf structure sensor to detect changes in leaf microstructure and pigment concentrations
• a sap flow sensor to detect deviations in water transport (transpiration and water uptake)
• a water content sensor to measure changes in the permittivity (water content) of the stem for the detection of, among other things, drought stress
• a fungal spore sensor to detect spore pressure
• a sensor protocol for light interception to determine the leaf pruning strategy (photosynthesis and transpiration)
• a sensor setup for measuring head thickness as an indicator of crop balance
• a sensor protocol for detecting leaf status and nutrient content as an indicator of assimilate status

Most of these sensors are currently not available in the greenhouse, but are crucial for further optimising tomato cultivation. For some sensors (e.g. sap flow), commercial variants are currently available, but these are often too expensive, insufficiently accurate, too difficult to interpret, or cannot be integrated into existing networks. Adding these eight sensors to the sensor network will contribute to more energy-efficient cultivation, enabling more precise responses to the needs of the plant and timely adjustments in cases of suboptimal growth or stress. This will increase production efficiency, which may also provide economic benefits for growers.

Following development in the laboratory, the sensors will be tested in the semi-commercial greenhouses of PCH and Delphy to assess their practical application under different conditions. As the different sensors also have different TRL levels at the start of the project, greenhouse trials can begin from the outset of the project. The sensor data collected during these tests will be supplemented with (manual) measurements of crop status and will be used at a later stage of the project to develop cultivation recommendations, enabling growers to determine which actions to take based on the sensor values obtained. In addition, the sensors will be integrated into the existing commercial sensor network. Finally, the sensors will be validated and demonstrated so that the different target groups can put them into practice. We also aim to make an initial translation to other crops, such as lettuce, cucumber, chicory and chrysanthemum, to determine the added value of the new sensors for these crops and whether a follow-up project is required for further crop-specific optimisation. The project will conclude with the development of a roadmap outlining how the new sensors can contribute to autonomous cultivation and which additional steps are still required.