Minimize the crop loss of Lettuce caused by Tip burn by ensuring the optimum growing environment with SenzAgro’s Agricore Platform
BUSINESS CASE
Our client managed a variety of crops from lettuce, bell pepper, scotch bonnet chilies, and more within their specialized greenhouses. With such a variety of crops being managed in proximity to one another, certain fluctuations in temperatures and lack of specific minerals or nutrients made the crops susceptible to various pests and diseases — especially tip burn, the browning of the margins of young, maturing leaves.
Furthermore, some of these greenhouses were also used for show case purposes — where our client could attract potential clients by directly marketing their material via the greenhouse. This meant that the crops had to be maintained in crisp condition — pertaining to quantities that result in higher quality of the crops.
SOLUTION
The client required an effective system that would aid the monitoring and nullification of their crops’ lack of nutrition and vulnerability to disease, whilst also ensuring guidance to a greater yield with higher quality. They should be able to periodically monitor physical parameters of their crops (such as humidity, temperature, soil moisture, and EC), remotely manage irrigational operations of the greenhouse in real-time, whilst being able to display the greenhouse with its crops in pristine conditions with minimal wastage.
SenzAgro’s Smart Farming System can cater all mentioned conditions via its mobile/web application — offering remote, real-time access to all data related to the user’s crops whilst giving the user freedom to manage their greenhouse’s operations (such as irrigation and conditions systems) via set conditions or through the application itself. If the conditions are not maintained, the user could immediately be notified via SMS alerts. Various sensors for temperature, EC, humidity, and soil moisture would be illustrated within reports via the application — this would allow the employees, owners, and potential clients of the greenhouse to view all data with minimum comprehension.
Furthermore, this feature (along with SenzAgro’s Crop Specific Intelligence) can be used to offer advice on irrigation, and manage the crops more efficiently — ensuring that sufficient amounts of each parameter are provided to the crops. Crop specific advice could help the farmers monitor and manage their crops with more confidence as the data provided guarantees the best yield, and SMS notifications can be used to inform, monitor, and manage farm operations and personnel via the farm application. In instances of disease or pest attacks, advice on how to nullify such events can also be catered via SenzAgro’s smart farming solutions.
ACTION TAKEN
SenzAgro’s ‘Digiplant’ units were installed and deployed within the greenhouse — along with adequate training provided. As per request, microclimate parameters (such as temperature, humidity, soil moisture and EC) were monitored in real-time to ensure that the crops receive perfect amounts of heat, pH, water, EC, and other parameters. For instance, if the greenhouse climate is too warm and/or if the EC sensor indicates a shortage of nutrients, the (application’s) users would receive a SMS/application notification indicating such issues. They may then control their ventilation and irrigation systems via the application or take the necessary precautions without being physically present at the site.
Additionally, the data from the sensors were used in understanding how various applications of the mentioned parameters could improve yield quantity and quality efficiently. The client accessed all the data within a generated report from the application, hence saving time in recording and displaying data effectively for analysis. Constant monitoring along with an analysis of the data can identify trends — meaning potential conditions that would lead to tip-burns or other pests and diseases were noted in advance. Photographs of the disease/pest were sent to SenzAgro’s agronomists via the ‘Farm Manager’ application, who in turn analyze the issue and offer advice on nullification with the aid of the application’s ‘Crop-specific Intelligence’.
The operations within the greenhouse; which were automated and monitored through the application, provided real-time insights regardless of the user’s location. All data related to irrigation and other; such as its time-stamps, history, frequency, and amounts, are recorded and displayed to the users of the application. As the irrigation cycles were scheduled, the employees on the site saved much time and effort as they could manage the system irrespective of their physical location. SenzAgro’s ‘Farm Manager’ platform facilitates keeping a record of all issues during the crop cycle, which would help the client to take preventative measures in their next crop cycle.
RESULTS
Automated irrigation and control systems allowed farm personal to save time and efforts, whilst shifting their focus onto other important tasks, while the sensors provided real-time data which were used to monitor the crop’s conditions (with aid from the system’s crop specific intelligence) and manage all physical parameters. The data collected was used to manage crop quality to reach higher quality conditions with lowered wastage of resources, whilst also predicting overall harvest and potential issues to the crops in advance. The cases of tip-burn and other diseases/pests reduced sharply as they were dealt with quickly and efficiently, along with real-time monitoring of the greenhouse’s overall operations via the ‘Farm Manager’ application.
As a result, the client was greatly pleased as they were able to showcase their crops in their highest quality for their potential clients to experience whilst also being able to monitor and manage the greenhouse with ease, hence reducing the effort, time, and money spent. There was a decline in wastage of nutrients and water, as the amounts were now controlled effectively. The data collected contributed to the betterment of the crop’s yield and quality, and identified future issues in advance.
No matter how great the achievement, SenzAgro strives to further enhance the system through the data received and eventually provide the best smart solutions for our clients in the future to come.
