Automation, crop protection and water management address greenhouse growers' challenges

How can vegetable growers prepare for the future while managing labour shortages, improving crop quality and making their operations more efficient? This is one of the central questions facing today's greenhouse growers, which also emerged as bottlenecks in a survey conducted by Prins Greenhouses.

"Labour availability emerged as one of the major concerns, alongside the need for efficient production methods and reliable greenhouse technologies," says Ries Neuteboom of Prins Greenhouses. Earlier this year, the company organised Future-Ready Greenhouses, bringing together 21 vegetable growers in Abbotsford, BC, to discuss these and other key challenges.

Rather than simply identifying the issues, the programme focused on practical solutions. Three technology suppliers were invited to share their expertise and explain how developments in automation, UV-C technology and water treatment could support commercial vegetable production.

"Staying future-ready means bringing the right people, technologies and ideas together," Neuteboom says.

© Prins Greenhouses

Automation to address labour challenges

The afternoon started with an introduction to the survey findings, followed by a presentation on funding opportunities for greenhouse investments by Zainab Baqiri, Grant and Incentive Coordinator at Prins Greenhouses.

Roel Janssen, Chief Business Development Officer at Eternal.ag, then presented the company's approach to autonomous harvesting. The German agritech startup develops robotic harvesting solutions for commercial greenhouses, using artificial intelligence and crop vision to identify crops and support harvesting decisions.

Its tomato-harvesting robots aim to reduce repetitive manual work while helping growers improve operational consistency and harvest quality. As labour availability remains a concern for many growers, automation is becoming an increasingly important part of discussions about the future of greenhouse production.

© Prins Greenhouses

UV-C technology for crop protection

Arjo van der Sluis, Account Manager and Co-owner of CleanLight, introduced UV-C technology and its applications in horticulture.

CleanLight develops UV-based solutions for crop protection, hygiene and product quality. Its technology can be used for targeted crop treatments to suppress fungi, bacteria and viruses, potentially reducing reliance on chemical crop protection. The company also offers UV-C solutions for disinfecting materials and supporting post-harvest hygiene.

For growers looking to maintain crop health and improve production practices, these technologies offer another tool to consider as part of an integrated crop protection strategy.

© Prins Greenhouses

Water treatment for more resilient production

John van der Wilk, Global Sales Director at GreenV, presented water treatment solutions offered by Stolze. His presentation focused on technologies that help growers improve water quality, reduce disease pressure and reuse irrigation water efficiently.

Solutions such as ultrafiltration and ozone treatment can support the removal of contaminants and the disinfection of recirculated irrigation water. With water management playing an important role in greenhouse production, these technologies can contribute to more efficient growing operations and help growers make better use of available water resources.

Knowledge sharing

The programme started at 4 p.m. and concluded with an opportunity for attendees to network with the speakers, suppliers and fellow growers. Following the presentations, participants stayed to enjoy freshly made sushi and drinks while continuing the conversations in a more informal setting.

The meeting brought together growers, technology suppliers and industry specialists to discuss how developments in automation, crop protection and water treatment relate to everyday greenhouse operations. It also provided an opportunity to connect the bottlenecks identified by growers with technologies and expertise that could help address them.

For more information:

Prins Greenhouses

www.prinsgreenhouses.com