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How Crop Controller works

  • Data inputs
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Advanced Learning

Home How Crop Controller works Strategy Strategy Optimizer Explained

Strategy Optimizer Explained

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This article explains how the Strategy Optimizer applies the cultivation planning and the energy balance.

How Does it Work:

Plant Load and Production

Strategy optimizer, based on the climatic data and the planning strategy estimates the plant load and consecutively the production over a whole cultivation period.

More specifically, the model uses the flowering speed to define new trusses and the days to harvest to calculate the harvesting time.  

Based on the number and age of the trusses the plant load is calculated. The fruit weight is used to narrow it down to production kg/m2.

Required and Available Energy

Required energy refers to the total amount of energy needed for the formation and development of all trusses (flowering structures) in a crop over the cultivation period. It is calculated based on the projected plant load and the number of trusses, and then distributed over time (e.g., weekly) according to the flowering speed of the plants.

Available energy is the total amount of energy—measured in joules—that plants can utilize for growth and development. It is derived from both natural sunlight and artificial lighting within the greenhouse. This energy is influenced by the greenhouse’s location, its light transmission properties, and key climatic parameters such as temperature and CO₂ concentration, which affect photosynthesis efficiency.

  • Required energy [J/cm2/day] = the daily energy demand for the growth and development of the plant
  • Available energy [J/cm2/day]= the daily available energy to be used by the plant for growth and development
  • The energy balance [J/cm2/day]= the difference between required and available energy, resulting in a surplus or a deficit

Based on the number of projected plant load and number of trusses, the required energy for the formation of all trusses over the cultivation is calculated and later divided over weeks based on the flowering speed.
The available energy is calculated based on the total natural and artificial radiation in the greenhouse. The available energy is defined as the total joules that can be used by the plant for growth and development.

It’s calculated with respect on the greenhouse location, transition properties and climatic parameters as Temperature and CO2 which are the driving parameters after light for photosynthesis and so for growth and development.