Growers are increasingly gathering data about their crops. Registering that data properly and making it transparent is crucial. By transforming an Excel model into a digital model-based platform for crop planning, ProJoules has made things a lot easier for growers since its official introduction in 2022.
However, 3.5 years after its introduction, the software builders are far from finished. And that is largely thanks to the growers. They now use the variety profiles offered in ProJoules to create even better, company-specific variety profiles based on their own local insights. Founder Wim van Wingerden: "With ProJoules, we help growers gather more knowledge about their cultivation, faster and better. That way, they can further optimize their crops, anywhere in the world."
From paper to tablet
To build knowledge, registering cultivation data is crucial. Previously, growers did so on paper, later in Excel, and nowadays it can be done in ProJoules, directly from a tablet. "It can be done online and offline. Growers can create their own registration fields and give them their own names. Registration can now be done in the greenhouse. In two clicks, a grower can register the setting based on the truss and the number of the tomato. After the grower saved the data, ProJoules puts all the numbers from the setting into the system."
Plant registration. Click here to enlarge.
As registration becomes easier, Wim sees growers starting to register more. "Five stems become ten for the harvest prognosis, for example. With double the number of stems, the reliability of harvest forcast is also higher. It becomes less error-prone." The new tablet functionality is currently available for tomatoes. By early 2025, it will also be introduced for sweet peppers, cucumbers, and eggplants.
Company-specific variety profiles
At ProJoules, they notice that having a better crop forecast is very important for growers at the moment. When it comes to harvest forecasting, there is still significant progress to be made across all crops. "It all starts with accurate counting. Counting degree days is also important. For instance, if a certain variety requires 50 days to mature at an average temperature of 20 degrees Celsius, you know the variety needs 20x50, or 1000 degree-hours. At a lower average temperature, such as 18 degrees, you can quickly calculate that the same variety will need an additional 5 to 7 days to ripen. Moreover, it's not a linear relationship, which is why a formula is used in the system."
This calculation of growing degree days is thus very important. Here too, ProJoules has taken a step forward. Growers are already working with crop profiles that they receive automatically from ProJoules. This means growers already have to enter less standard data themselves. "Currently, we see growers gradually creating their own crop profiles in ProJoules, where they supplement the standard data with their personal data. This could be for example a grower in the United States, where the climate conditions result in a variety having a different growth duration compared to Dutch conditions."
Harvest forecast
If a grower now records a setting in ProJoules, he can also indicate that a truss has been harvested, Wim shows. "A grower can do that, for example, when he is registering plant data. If the grower sees that a truss is gone, he clicks on 'harvested'. Then the system starts calculating, and shows the average number of days between setting and harvest—the growth duration. In this way, the system provides tailored data validation to growers."
Growers are expected to benefit from the new functionality, especially for harvest forecasts extending beyond one week. Especially at a time with rapidly changing varieties, including the introduction of new ToBRFV-resistant varieties, growers have a strong incentive to quickly gather accurate crop data using ProJoules.
Together, ProJoules and growers discuss the data and knowledge from ProJoules. Teamwork for a sustainable future.
Tool for growers
ProJoules was built in close cooperation with Ignition Computing. At the time, growers were still used to working with paper. In a few years time, that has changed rapidly. "Grower are now asking for digital registration," he says. The team behind the model-based crop planning platform highlights that ensuring the platform remains a user-friendly tool for growers is a priority. With the avatars that we are introducing in our communication, we aim to show that people remain our central focus."
A recent development among ProJoules users is that growers have started measuring indoor and outdoor PAR light 'en masse', Wim observes. "I notice that growers are often very positive about how much light they think enters the greenhouse. However, measurements frequently reveal that the actual light levels are lower, even in the most modern greenhouses."
It's not just growers with artificial lighting who are measuring PAR. Growers without artificial lighting have also started measuring PAR. "That way they can learn well what happens with the joules when there is a coating on the greenhouse. Even growers who only use energy screens to screen out light may be surprised what the loss of light can be. By relying on actual data instead of assumptions, growers can adapt their cultivation strategies more effectively. I see that by using ProJoules, growers develop knowledge faster and better."
Wim cites a grower from central Europe as an example. The grower, who works with coating on the greenhouse in spring and summer, started measuring PAR inside and outside. "After heavy rainfall on the greenhouse roof, it turned out that transmission increase, allowing too much light into the greenhouse. This led to excessive blossom-end rot in pepper cultivation." Measurements showed that over 25 mol of PAR light reached the crop. "From the data, we know that 18 to 22 mol is often sufficient. With this insight, the grower was able to plan a better cultivation strategy, even a year in advance, before the start of the next growing season."
Wim, Daan van Vugt with Ignition Computing and Loek van Leeuwen with ProJoules
Plant balance
In a market where artificial intelligence is a buzzword at ProJoules the focus is rather on crop planning, reliable registration, a clear dashboard with accurate data and therefore a good plant balance. Steps towards autonomous cultivation can then be taken. Not the other way around. "If the plant is not in balance with the amount of light in the greenhouse, autonomously climate control is impossible. We're curious to see where the market will go, but in the meantime, we continue with what we are doing."
At ProJoules, they see plenty of opportunities to make growers 'even better' themselves. "I like how we're frequently approached with ideas about what more we could do." New plans and functionalities are already lined up for 2025. "We will definitely optimize several aspects again. These are areas where we see added value for growers."
All growers working with ProJoules will automatically receive new functionalities. "We try to avoid an overkill of options. That's why we also recently created a new onboarding video. We sometimes assume that all growers understand everything, but that is not always the case - and that's completely understandable." With the video and additional in-person support, ProJoules is continuing this approach. "We need to make sure that our tool is good and that our customer service is top notch!"
ProJoules onboarding video
For more information:
ProJoules
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www.projoules.com