Biological crop protection in the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge

Added on 29 November 2024

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Biological crop protection in the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge

Photo Courtesy of WUR

This year, crop protection was part of the recently completed Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge for the first time. By recommending the correct type and number of biological control agents against whitefly, teams could earn points every week which were included in the final score of the Challenge. Denise Huyskes, pest control advisor from the BU Greenhouse Horticulture at Wageningen University & Research (WUR), explains how she incorporated Integrated Pest Management (IPM) into the Challenge - with the help of Biobest - and how the teams did it.

With an algorithm, you can autonomously control a greenhouse crop from small plant to mature crop. However, current technological resources do not allow you to monitor pests remotely and manage them with pest control, says Denise Huyskes. “It all needs to be done manually. I do that by scouting. This involves walking through the greenhouse checking for diseases and pests on the crops. These range from flies and lice to fungi. I then see how an infestation can be managed with chemical or biological crop protection."

Pest control part of Challenge

This year, crop protection - also known as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) - was part of the Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge for the first time. Huyskes: "In previous challenges, the focus was mainly on the technology relating to crop development. This year, we wanted to add a learning element. We opted for biological crop protection. To guide teams in this, we joined forces with Biobest consultants and producers to develop a programme. We also devised a kind of challenge within the Challenge, in which teams could earn points for crop protection. These points were 20 percent of the final score."