The second upside-down cultivation at the World Horti Center in Westland has been completed. Under the leadership of Vertify, tomatoes and mainly cucumbers were grown again using the system developed by Biomic Agritech, with some adjustments. The potential of the system, especially for labor savings, has once again been demonstrated, yet the innovative company still faces challenges with scaling up. Which grower will take the plunge?
In the 2024 trial, the cultivation tubes were positioned differently, rotated 90 degrees, and thus placed lengthwise in the greenhouse instead of across as in the 2023 trial. In total, there are 8 tubes, covering an 80-square-meter growing area.
Scaling up without large-scale testing
Eliezer Edelstein, the initiator of Biomic Agritech and a true tech enthusiast, observes that six years after the project's inception in 2019, everyone talks a big game about innovation, but finding parties willing to test on a large scale remains a challenge. And without large-scale testing, growers are hesitant to switch to a completely new system.
In Israel, the system was tested in a commercial greenhouse in 2020 and 2021. Following these tests, the project moved to the Netherlands, where the issue of finding enough labor for greenhouse work regularly makes the news. After receiving a grant from the Innovatiefonds Hagelunie, Clemens Stolk from InnovaConnect helped set up a first trial at the World Horti Center in Naaldwijk, integrating the cultivation system into a Dutch high-tech greenhouse.
"With our system no trellising is needed. Gravity does the work. Instead of leaning and lowering you roll up the stem with the push of a button. Our cultivation method saves almost 50% in labor costs. According to all our experiments conducted with the system, in Israel and in the Netherlands, the commercial system will yield the same, or even higher, compared to the traditional cultivation method."
Eliezer (right) with his wife Ronit during a test with the system in Israel.
ROI
After two years of testing in the Netherlands, following tests in Israel, the tech enthusiast also points to additional benefits, such as reduced spread of plant viruses due to less manual labor. No plastic strings or clips are needed, so it is more sustainable cultivation. Furthermore, leaf picking, another manual task, is easier because the leaves are easily visible from above. "A robot can move underneath and perform the leaf picking."
Biomic Agritech is looking for a grower willing to conduct a test on 500 square meters in a commercial greenhouse, alongside a regular reference crop. "We have no doubt that growers will seriously consider converting their greenhouses to our system after such a test. The payback period is 3 to 4 years."
For Eliezer, it's clear that the system is not ready for a large-scale commercial cultivation step without a commercial test. "Such a status quo is typically resolved by government subsidies to help advance innovations."
A single robot for all tasks
The long-term goal of the Israelis is to develop a fully automated greenhouse. Eliezer says: "Many companies are working on developing robots for greenhouses, especially for harvesting. No company is developing a robot for tying the plants, as it's a complex task that even humans need significant experience to perform well."
With the Biomic Agritech system, tying the crop to the wire is unnecessary. "All we need is a robot for harvesting and one for removing leaves and suckers. In our opinion, the same robotic arm, working from above, can perform both tasks. No cart is needed to carry the robot. Conveyor belts, on the clean floor, can transport the fruits to the packing area, and the removed leaves and suckers can be taken to the composting site."
Is horticulture on the right track?
Eliezer likes to draw a parallel with the era of Charlie Chaplin. He wonders if horticulture, with its current choices in robotics, is on the right track. "Years ago, cars were assembled by hand. Charlie Chaplin made the film Modern Times about it. Today, nearly all cars are assembled by robots. If today's cars were assembled manually, the price of cars would be five times higher, or even more. Let's hope that we will soon see autonomous greenhouses for growing tomatoes and cucumbers, fully operated by robots, before the costs of tomatoes and cucumbers become five times higher."
In November, Vertify will start a lit cultivation with the system, with interlighting. After the winter cultivation, they want to start the larger trial of 500 square meters, preferably also in cucumber. In addition, there are also trials running in Israel growing tomatoes and cucumbers
More videos, including those of harvesting, can be seen online.
For more information:
Biomic Agritech
Tel.: +972-54-6170172
[email protected]
www.biomicagritech.wixsite.com/biomicagritech