Reading a tomato plant remotely

Have you ever walked a greenhouse crop with a skilled grower who could intuitively “read” a plant, as if the green leaves were lines on a page? This skill, which develops with time in the greenhouse, separates junior growers from head growers. The problem is that as greenhouses get bigger and the teams managing the crop get smaller, there is less opportunity to visually inspect all issues that come up. Visually inspecting plant leaves, stems, plant heads, and fruit quality gives important cues regarding plant health necessary to achieve high yields. With new technology, it's possible to read a plant remotely to get those same visual cues that indicate plant health. 

Modern greenhouses are searching for innovative solutions to achieve higher yields, address labour shortages, and decrease crop loss from pests and diseases. There is a global shortage of highly trained growers, so management teams are turning to technology to fill in the gap. One proven solution is ecoation's forecasting platform. Specifically, the Virtual Walk displays data in a “Google Streetview” style version of the greenhouse for deep visibility into the crop. The feature uses a hardware package that includes a 360-degree camera, allowing growers and consultants to get the visual cues needed for effective crop management on a scale not possible on foot. When the OKO drives down a row of tomatoes, the camera sends an image of every square meter of the greenhouse to the ecoation digital platform. From here it is possible to see every single plant in the greenhouse from anywhere in the world.

This web app allows growers, scouts, IPM managers, greenhouse owners, and technical consultants to read how a tomato plant is growing without physically needing to be in the greenhouse. Each day that the OKO goes into a row, the data is refreshed. It’s also possible to go back in time to see exactly what a plant looked like days, weeks, or months ago. This digital record of crop growth enables a continuous record of crop work quality, fruit quality, and overall health of the crop.

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Photo: Ecoation

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