Measuring improvements in smart growing across 2025

The following article was written by Ivy Dao of Koidra, and reflects on the company's results with its autonomous control solution, KoPilot.

After the promising results from our 2024 deployment of KoPilot - our autonomous control solution - at DC Farms, we extended the deployment from May to November 2025 in an eggplant greenhouse. This deployment demonstrated KoPilot's ability to increase yield while reducing energy consumption. Over the six-month period, the zone managed by KoPilot produced 6.8% more yield than the Reference zone while using 4.84% less steam energy for heating, resulting in a 12.23% improvement in overall energy efficiency. In addition, KoPilot maintained more consistent irrigation control, keeping EC Drain closer to the target value under autonomous irrigation.

Grower perspective
KoPilot frees growers from the constant climate and irrigation control decisions, providing not just time savings but also peace of mind.

Michael Del Ciancio - Farm Manager, shared: "KoPilot gives us not just the time, but also the peace of mind. It allows me to focus on scaling the business and building the next greenhouse, without being held back by operational uncertainties. Even the best growers in town are inconsistent, so having a hands-off system that maintains stable conditions is incredibly valuable."

This hands-off approach allows growers to concentrate on business growth while maintaining consistent environmental conditions, even when staffing or other operational challenges arise.

Yield performance
The cumulative yield was equal in both zones at the first harvest (7 Jul, 2025). By the end of the measurement period (11 Nov, 2025), the KoPilot zone produced 6.8% more yield than the Reference zone.

This result also exceeds the yield improvement observed in the previous year.

© Koidra

Energy efficiency
Heating energy consumption was measured using a steam flow meter. From Oct 21 - Nov 24, the KoPilot zone consumed 2,556 tonnes of steam, compared with 2,686 tonnes in the Reference zone. This corresponds to a 4.84% reduction in thermal energy use.

Energy efficiency was calculated as: Energy efficiency = Cumulative Yield / Cumulative Steam Mass

© Koidra(*) Steam flow meter data was recorded from Oct 21 to Nov 24, while yield was accumulated from Jul 7 to Nov 11. As a result, the calculated energy efficiency reflects a relative performance trend between zones rather than an absolute efficiency value.

KoPilot achieved a higher yield while using less heating energy, resulting in an improvement in overall energy efficiency.

© KoidraKoPilot (solid lines) used less steam energy for heating compared to the Reference zone (dotted lines).

Irrigation
KoPilot controlled irrigation in both zones from September to the end of the trial. During the period of KoPilot control, the realized average EC Drain was more stable and closer to the target of 4.5 mS/cm.

© Koidra
(*) CV (Coefficient of Variation) is a statistical measure showing relative variability, calculated as the standard deviation divided by the mean.

© KoidraAverage EC Drain. Days with KoPilot control are marked by columns.

Across the 2025 deployment at DC Farms, KoPilot maintained stable autonomous greenhouse control with measurable improvements in production efficiency. Higher cumulative yield, reduced heating energy use, and consistent irrigation performance were observed under KoPilot control. Based on these outcomes, the deployment will continue into the next growing season, with further observations planned for early 2026.