Source acquires Optimal for autonomous greenhouse control
Source: HD.com
Optimal's AI directly controls greenhouse heating, ventilation, screens, lighting, CO₂, and irrigation through the grower's existing hardware. In a commercial-scale greenhouse in the Netherlands, the world's reference point for greenhouse horticulture, it delivered 13 percent more yield with 27 percent less energy than the benchmark Dutch grower.
Source's software already runs in more than 500 greenhouses in 25 countries. It supports €2.5bn of tomato, pepper and cucumber production a year and works with 13 of the world's 25 largest high-tech growers.
With the current technology stack, we do not have enough expert growers to run them all, but with AI we can solve this scalability problem." "A global shortage of skilled growers prevents new greenhouses from being built and leaves our food system exposed to extreme climate and energy events," said Dave Hunter, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Optimal. By joining Source, we can now accelerate the deployment of this AI into greenhouses across the world and create a more resilient food system for the future." © Source.ag Dave Hunter and Rien Kamman "As growers, we feel climate and labour pressure every season," said Kees van Veen, Chief Executive Officer of Agro Care, one of Europe's largest greenhouse tomato producers and a Source customer.
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.
