"Automation turns greenhouse covers and protected structures into an active growing tool"
Source: HD.com
It was this need, observed over years of working directly with agricultural structures, that gave rise to Walia® by Mateo e Hijo, a solution developed to automate the opening and closing of plastic covers and nets and to address an increasingly clear demand from growers: "Opening and closing plastics and nets is still, on many farms, a slow, manual operation that depends on staff availability and the weather. A key driver has also been the fact that agricultural producers need to respond faster to weather conditions and better manage the microclimate of their crops, while always retaining the ability to decide for themselves what to do, this is due to the high quality standards demanded by the fresh fruit and vegetable market," the team at Mateo e Hijo explains.
From their phone, the grower can check the status of the farm and instruct the plastics and nets to open or close without having to be physically on site." The system provides temperature and humidity data from the farm itself, as well as weather information such as rainfall and wind. They can leave certain tasks automated and, when they see fit, step in directly." © Frank Harms | Dreamstime Moving from a static cover to a tool for managing the protected environment One of the changes the company aims to bring about with Walia concerns precisely the way covers are understood within greenhouses and other protected structures, shifting them from an element that is simply put up and taken down manually to a crop management tool.
+34 669 394 826 [email protected] www.mateoehijo.com/ Publication date: Thu 3 Sep 2026 © HortiDaily.com / Marta del Moral Arroyo Related Articles → See More Terrazza MC expands Geotex PRO range UK: NFU helps secure Seasonal Worker Scheme visas for 2027 "Automation turns greenhouse covers and protected structures into an active growing tool" "Good data will help us make the case for horticulture" “Automation is gaining ground in Argentina’s hydroponics sector” Robot dogs reduce grape harvest workload by over 70% in China UV-C robots treat over 1,500 acres of California strawberries Yard tractor at the distribution center or a truck with driver? How technology is transforming China's vegetable powerhouse Turning greenhouse labour data into actionable performance insights Related Articles Terrazza MC expands Geotex PRO range UK: NFU helps secure Seasonal Worker Scheme visas for 2027 "Automation turns greenhouse covers and protected structures into an active growing tool" "Good data will help us make the case for horticulture" “Automation is gaining ground in Argentina’s hydroponics sector” Related Articles Robot dogs reduce grape harvest workload by over 70% in China UV-C robots treat over 1,500 acres of California strawberries Yard tractor at the distribution center or a truck with driver?
Why this matters: For operators, this is a water-management story. The useful signal is that direct substrate measurements can help cut drain loss materially without giving up yield or fruit quality, which is exactly the kind of controllable efficiency gain a facility can build on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does substrate sensing matter in free-drain strawberry systems?
Because drain percentage tells a grower what already happened, while substrate moisture and EC data show root-zone conditions directly. That makes it easier to cut water loss without guessing.
What is the operator takeaway from this trial?
If the thresholds are understood well enough, growers can reduce drain water materially while protecting yield and fruit quality, which makes sensing an operational tool instead of a reporting tool.
