In the first phase of the competition, the teams worked hard on developing advanced algorithms. Now, they get to apply that knowledge practically in their own greenhouse compartment in Bleiswijk. Using sensors and artificial intelligence, the teams meticulously control temperature, light, humidity and CO2 to create the optimal growth conditions for the tomato plants. All of this is done entirely automatically and as sustainably as possible.
The ultimate goal is to achieve the highest net profit in a sustainable manner. Extra points can be earned by making the right decisions regarding biological pest control, based on digital information from the greenhouse. The team with the most points will be crowned the winner of the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge 2024.
The future of horticulture Whether it is growing flowers, vegetables or fruits, autonomous greenhouses are expected to play an increasingly important role in future production. Higher yields can be achieved with the use of fewer resources such as water and energy. In an era where sustainability is key, these innovations can make a significant difference. Moreover, automation in greenhouse cultivation can help reduce labour costs and address staff shortages.
“The techniques needed to enable autonomous cultivation on a larger scale already exist,” says researcher and Challenge organizer Silke Hemming. “But there isn’t always enough training data to build algorithms that are robust and scalable. There’s also the question of who is responsible if something goes wrong in a commercially run greenhouse. Is it the grower or the person who built the algorithms?”
The participants in the fourth Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge do not need to worry about answering that question. The annual event plays an important role in fostering knowledge and innovation. By bringing together international teams, new ideas and revolutionary technologies are born. The Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge not only strengthens the Netherlands' position as a leader in agricultural innovation but also offers inspiration and practical insights for growers worldwide.
Major challenges for the teams According to Hemming, fully autonomous cultivation of dwarf tomatoes is not easy. The teams must optimize all different cultivation factors and also consider the financial aspects. “There are always many uncertainties in crop cultivation. Besides pests and diseases, you also have to think about unexpected crop reactions and uncertainties in weather forecasts,” says Hemming. “The teams' algorithms need to be able to cope with these and that’s very complex. Unexpected events such as sensor failures can also present additional challenges.”
Introducing the teams Five teams, totalling 60 participants, are competing for the win. A quarter of the participants are women, the teams represent 10 different nationalities, and a third of the participants are students, many of whom are PhD students. Other participants are employees of companies and research institutions.
These are the teams:
IDEAS - Zhejiang University, China
MuGrow – TU Delft, Gardin, Rijk Zwaan, Wageningen University
AgriFusion – Croft, Korea University of Technology and Education, Seoul National University, IMEC, GreenBites, Harvard University
Team Trigger – Grit, Daeyoung, Bigwave, Ridder, Seoul National University, Keimyung University
Tomatonuts -Wageningen University, China Agricultural University, Jingwa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Centre, Golden Scorpion
Harvesting dwarf tomatoesin December The participating teams in the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge are expected to harvest their dwarf tomatoes by December. On 16 January 2025, the winning team will be announced. From 2 September, the challenge can be followed live via the dashboard at www.autonomousgreenhouses.com.
Partners and sponsors In addition to Wageningen University & Research, this event is co-organized and sponsored by Tencent, Biobest, Certhon, Fluence, Gebr. Geers, Lensli Substrates, LetsGrow.com, Quantified, Pöppelmann and Vreugdenhil Breeding & Seeds. ●
LettUs Grow, a supplier of aeroponic technology, has partnered with Innovative Growers Equipment (IGE), specialists in greenhouse equipment manufacturing, to introduce ultrasonic aeroponics to greenhouse growers across the U.S. and Canada.
Through this partnership, IGE will manufacture LettUs Grow’s patented ultrasonic irrigation systems, enabling growers to optimise crop production and enhance quality, with the latest in irrigation technology. This strategic collaboration combines LettUs Grow’s technology with IGE’s world-leading manufacturing capacity to unlock higher crop yields with reduced resources for greenhouse growers throughout the region.
“This partnership marks a significant step forward in our mission to reduce the impact of growing fresh produce worldwide, by supporting growers and improving food security through meaningful collaborations,” said Charlie Guy, CEO of LettUs Grow. “By working together with IGE, we will be enabling farmers in the U.S. and Canada to utilise the latest in irrigation technology that brings innovation and growth to their operations.”
Having completed successful crop growth trials at both Wageningen University’s R&D greenhouse facility, and more recently at Stockbridge Technology Centre in collaboration with CHAP, LettUs Grow’s aeroponic technology has shown to improve yields and growth rates in comparison to hydroponic irrigation methods for a range of leafy greens and herbs. This collaboration will deliver increased accessibility of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) technology to greenhouse growers in both the U.S. and Canada, who are looking to accelerate crop growth in their facilities.
“By utilising LettUs Grow's ultrasonic aeroponic technology as part of our comprehensive offering to greenhouse growers across the continent, we are opening new avenues for sustainable agriculture and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in crop production,” said Chris Mayer, Founder of IGE.
The partnership commenced with the construction of a U.S.-based reference site in June 2024, where the technology was showcased as part of the IGE & Hydrofarm facility tour, following Indoor Agtech in Chicago. The technology will then be used to conduct crop trials unique to the North American market, as well as conventional crops with international market demand. This will provide a secondary site based in the region for future collaborators and growers to view the technology first hand. ●
Agricultural producers – including greenhouse growers – have expressed concern about water availability and although access to safe alternative water sources, such as recycled water, has increased, their widespread adoption has not occurred.
In a study published in the journal Hort Technology, researchers aimed to understand what motivates greenhouse growers to adopt and use municipal recycled wastewater (MRW) in their greenhouse operations and what barriers prevent it.
“In this study, we seek to understand the factors that motivate and limit use of MRW among U.S. growers,” noted the study authors, which included Chesney McOmber, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut; Christine J. Kirchhoff, School of Engineering Design and Innovation, The Pennsylvania State University; Yan Zhuang, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Connecticut College; and Rosa E. Raudales, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, University of Connecticut.
“Using national survey data from 2019 through 2020, we developed a logistic regression model to understand the many factors influencing growers’ willingness to use MRW on food crops. We find that MRW quality is a primary concern and that growers’ willingness to use MRW is shaped by their direct and indirect knowledge of MRW, garnered from their own and others’ experiences using it.”
Given these findings, the authors note that improving adoption of MRW requires collective experiential learning opportunities that gather target audiences with educators, policymakers, end users, and local authorities to simultaneously provide hands-on experience tailored to growers’ particular knowledge and concerns with feedback from peers.
“Greenhouse growers hold largely negative perceptions about alternative water sources, including MRW, because of concerns about its safety,” they said. “Growers are also concerned about consumer attitudes toward agricultural products irrigated with recycled water. Trust in the safety of recycled water and in the authorities responsible for ensuring recycled water quality can also undermine use.” At the same time, added the researchers, U.S. growers have little experience with and knowledge about recycled water, which is thought to impede use.
Although the study results support understanding of grower heterogeneity, further research is needed to provide a deeper understanding of those grower differences, including the ways that gender, age, race, and geography may affect growers’ information needs, attitudes, and approaches regarding MRW. Study authors said more research is also needed to deepen understanding of how a greenhouse growers’ customer base (e.g., retail, wholesale distributors, restaurants, farmer’s markets) affects growers’ willingness to use MRW.
“Similarly, research is needed to gain a better understanding of the concerns and attitudes toward MRW of different types of customers and how to manage those concerns to improve customers’ acceptance of using MRW on food crops,” noted the authors. “Such research could provide growers with insights, information, and strategies to alleviate those customer concerns paving the way for increased MRW adoption among growers.”
Finally, research on the effectiveness of different types of information and modes of delivery are also critical to understanding how to tailor and deliver information about recycled water more effectively to diverse grower communities. Relatedly, future research to understand how deep engagement transforms perceptions of and trust in the quality of MRW are needed to improve MRW uptake.
“Our conclusions are based on a survey of U.S. greenhouse growers representing a broad range of greenhouse operations,” explained the study authors. “Our sample is not reflective of the entire population of greenhouse growers because the largest, oldest operations were not included nor did we include international greenhouse operations. Still, the lessons we learned from this study provide insight into U.S. grower heterogeneity and their diverse motivations and limitations for using MRW.” ●
Growing mini cucumbers,near Straelen, NRW, GermanyJochen Tack/Alamy
What will a greenhouselook like in 2040?For example: which cultivation methods will be used, how will energy be stored and what will the greenhouse structure look like?
Wageningen University & Research, BU Greenhouse Horticulture is investigating these questions on behalf of the innovation programme Kas als Energiebron.
“We are trying to predict the challenges for the future and at the same time look for solutions for them,” said researcher Ilias Tsafaras.
Kas als Energiebron (Greenhouse as an Energy Source) is the innovation programme that stimulates energy saving and the use of sustainable energy in greenhouse horticulture. It is a joint initiative of Greenhouse Horticulture Netherlands and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature.
Kas als Energiebron asked WUR, Delphy and Botany to create a concept design for a Dutch greenhouse in 2040.
“In order to arrive at a design, we are organising several workshop series,” noted Tsafaras. “The first workshops were with scientists from different disciplines. We brainstormed with them about important themes. There was a lot of discussion about cultivation systems: how can robotisation help with a labour-intensive crop like cucumber, for example? Does the crop drive to the robot? Or does the crop need to be adjusted? We will have workshops with companies in the coming months. These companies also have different areas of expertise.”
One design per crop Based on all the input, WUR, Delphy and Botany will create a concept design for Greenhouse 2040. This design will be based on aspects such as: not using fossil fuels, fitting in with the changing climate and no emissions. Furthermore, only techniques may be used in the greenhouse that will be commercially available in horticulture or another sector within the next few years: that was a condition of Kas als Energiebron.
“There is a chance that we will create more designs for different greenhouses: one type for one cultivation system,” explained Tsafaras. “It makes quite a difference whether you design a greenhouse for a crop that grows in the open ground or on substrate. Or whether the crop is harvested several times a year, or just once. Or whether it is a lighted crop, or not.” ●
