Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has begun the second stage of its AGROS project – ARGOS II – working with industry and network partners to develop intelligent algorithms that automatically monitor the crop, irrigation, and climate, detect deviations and ensure cultivation runs according to plan.
“Our long-term goal is a fully autonomous greenhouse, where irrigation and climate are controlled based on sensor data and models, without grower intervention. The models will also indicate when crop management such as leaf pruning and fruit thinning should take place,” says project leader Anja Dieleman. “An essential component of autonomous greenhouse control is the availability of continuous data on the crop, substrate and climate. In AGROS II, we are developing the sensors and methods to make this possible.”
This year the project will use three parallel approaches, including digital twins, AI and an expert-managed crop. “Two approaches have been chosen to achieve autonomous greenhouse control: a Digital Twin and an AI algorithm,” explained Anja. “The Digital Twin is generated from WUR crop and climate models and continuously simulates how the greenhouse climate and a virtual cucumber crop respond to different control actions. Based on these simulations, the Twin determines the optimal strategy. It receives near-real-time sensor data from the greenhouse and uses this to update itself, creating a system that learns from actual conditions and becomes more accurate over time.”
In the second approach, an AI algorithm is trained by running thousands of simulations with a virtual cucumber crop, evaluating the effects of different control actions. Through this process, the model learns which actions lead to desirable outcomes and which do not. Once trained, the model can act autonomously based on current data from the greenhouse.
In addition, a third cucumber crop is being managed in a data-driven way by a group of experienced cultivation experts. Using a tailor-made dashboard, they can access all climate, substrate and crop data and provide cultivation advice accordingly. By comparing the digital overview with what they observe in the greenhouse, they can refine both their insights and the dashboard itself.
The ARGOS II project is being carried out with a broad group of partners. Companies such as Nunhems/BASF Vegetable Seeds, Mechatronix, Gavita, and Cultilene have contributed specialized knowledge of cultivation systems. The camera platform has been developed in collaboration with VDL ETG, while Delphy, Van der Hoeven and Source.ag provide expertise in data-driven cultivation. Stichting KIJK, Greenport West Holland, the Municipality of Lansingerland, and the Hagelunie Innovation Fund are all strengthening the project through grower engagement, societal input and a large network of horticultural entrepreneurs.
