PHOTO: GROENTEN & FRUIT
PHOTO: GROENTEN & FRUIT
PHOTO: GROENTEN & FRUIT PHOTO: ROEL DIJKSTRA
GREENHOUSE MANAGEMENT ▶▶▶
Searching for a fully autonomous greenhouse
BY TON VAN DER SCHEER W
ageningen University & Re- search (WUR) Greenhouse Horticulture and Chinese Internet giant Tencent have
launched a competition to find the best self-governing cultivation system. As part of the ‘Autonomous Greenhouse’ challenge, they are inviting teams from all over the world to design a greenhouse system that maximises production without human intervention, us- ing cucumbers as the test crop.
The rules and their implementation The final date for teams to register was 30 April, and a pre-challenge will be held in June. WUR and Tencent will then select the five partici- pants. Each of the five teams will be given a compartment in the test greenhouses at WUR Greenhouse Horticulture in Bleiswijk (Nether- lands), where they can install their cultivation system. From the second half of August on- wards, cultivation must be handled solely by that autonomous, self-learning system. The winner will be announced in December 2018, and all the rules for participation are available at
www.autonomousgreenhouses.com.
Wageningen University & Research is teaming up with Chinese tech company, Tencent, in the search for an autonomous greenhouse. Five teams – still to be selected – will take on the challenge this summer.
The project is supported by WUR, whose task – together with the sponsor, Tencent, – is to monitor compliance with the rules for partici- pation. As well as the facilities in Bleiswijk, they are also providing the teams with a pre- determined number of hours of advice from in-house researchers.
Objectivity Measuring and monitoring how the systems operate and the input required to achieve the final results is handled by WUR. To ensure they remain objective, WUR researchers will therefore not participate in any of the teams. With that exception, other universities, knowledge institutions and companies from around the world are free to join forces to field the strongest team.
“We are hoping to see collaborative partner- ships between experts in plant physiology, in sensor technology, in ICT, in climate technol- ogy, and in other cultivation-related areas. It’s just like bringing the best players from indi- vidual clubs together to create the Dutch na- tional football team,” says WUR spokesman Erik Toussaint.
Tech giant Tencent sponsor and observer Tencent is primarily acting as sponsor, with the company and vice president David Wallerstein contributing €200,000. For the company itself, this represents a modest initial foray into the food industry. In autumn last year, Tencent became the fifth largest tech company in the world, with a stock exchange value of $523 billion – just ahead of Facebook. The Chinese company achieved its initial growth as a gaming portal, but it has since continued to grow with an ever-increas- ing range of activities. This is reflected in
The type of systems being tested in the Autonomous Greenhouse challenge will ensure that much more current manage- ment information is produced.
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The ultimate winner will score points for production, with points being deducted for using water, energy and fertilisers, for example.
▶ FUTURE FARMING | 25 May 2018
The jury will also award points to teams that have worked together most effectively, for the level of scientific innovation behind an algorithm, and for the extent to which a configuration is scalable in practical terms.
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