Hungary: Renewing the acreage doubles yield at Floratom
Source: HD.com
Throughout the last lustrum, the company renewed almost 25 hectares of older greenhouses into high-tech, automated, modern facilities. © Floratom © Floratom Domestic and international sales Floratom currently operates 31 hectares in total and stands as one of the four major greenhouse operators in the country.
The company expanded with multiple new sites, including two recent 6.5-hectare projects: one focused mainly on peppers and another on tomatoes. He illustrates this with concrete figures: yields increased from around 15 kilograms per square meter in older greenhouses to up to 30 kilograms in the new facilities in case of peppers.
In the end, the investments bring us much better revenue." This is why the company invested in a complete technology package, including a double-screening system, extended irrigation with higher-capacity tanks and equipment, and significantly taller greenhouses—ranging from 6.5 to 7 meters compared to around 3.5 meters previously. One of the wells, approximately 1,500 meters deep, pumps water at 65–66 degrees, while the well at the most recent greenhouse produces water of more than 80 degrees from a depth of 1,800 meters.
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.
