Connecting growers with autonomous growing technology in Asia
Source: VFD.com
Having worked at companies such as Lock Drives and Ridder, he has built extensive expertise in greenhouse technology, automation and climate control. Adler Jiang Autonomous growing keeps growers in control When explaining autonomous climate and irrigation control by Crop Controller to new growers, Adler often compares it to driving a car.
Autonomous growing is more like using modern driving assistance systems: the grower sets the destination, while the technology helps reach it in the most effective way." Crop Controller is Blue Radix's AI-powered solution for autonomous climate and irrigation control. The system takes care of thousands of climate and irrigation decisions, resulting in fewer routine decisions, greater consistency and support in tackling challenges such as labor shortages, rising energy costs and increasingly complex greenhouse operations." Another advantage is that growers can get started quickly.
In addition, growers are supported by a dedicated Autonomous Greenhouse Manager (AGM), who helps align growing objectives, monitor performance and translate data into practical actions. The technology simply helps by taking care of routine decisions and providing support, so growers can focus on the bigger picture." By continuously analyzing greenhouse conditions and autonomously making climate and irrigation decisions, Crop Controller helps growers create more stable growing conditions, reduce dependence on scarce expertise and maintain consistent performance.
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.
