Triology: The Future of Greenhouse Horticulture – Part 2 Innovative technologies

Maarten van Bemmel explains how MyLedgnd utilizes advanced technologies to support growers. “Our platform is designed to be user-friendly, but some data, such as plant feedback, can be complex,” he says. “We use sensors that can read what a plant is saying, such as whether the plant is experiencing stress or photosynthesizing. This helps growers to optimally manage their greenhouses.”

More and more growers are open to using and applying new technologies in the greenhouse. We come from a time when dashboards were difficult to understand. “You have cool graphs, but what do you do with them? What do they mean and how do you interpret them? We help with plant physiologists to interpret the data, but the ultimate goal should be that growers can interpret and optimize most of it themselves,” Maarten explains. “We try to make MyLedgnd as plug-and-play and user-friendly as possible. But some data, especially when you talk about plant feedback data, can be quite complex. There are sensors that can read what a plant is saying, such as whether it is experiencing stress or photosynthesizing. You then have to interpret this, and for some growers, this is a piece of cake, but for others, it is quite high-tech.’ This is where the educational role comes back. “We essentially train the grower so that they can then work with the data themselves.”

For measurements, Ledgnd collaborates with various partners. “We work with third-party sensors. It doesn’t matter to us which sensors a grower already has or wants to use, as long as they add value. If a sensor helps achieve the grower’s objectives, such as optimizing yield or saving energy, then we recommend it.”

One of the biggest challenges in the market is convincing growers to share their data. “In Europe, it is already quite open, but in other parts of the world, it is more closed,” says Maarten. “To win in this game, you need to optimize and start sharing your data, at least with your advisor.”

Maarten explains that the MyLedgnd platform is designed to help growers interpret complex data. “We want growers to be confident in their decisions. This means that we not only provide them with the tools to collect data but also to understand and use this data. This is where our expertise in plant physiology really comes in handy.”

MyLedgnd is working hard to improve the user experience and engage their customers. “Optimization is a continuous process,” emphasizes Maarten. Ledgnd has been working diligently over the past few months on a completely new interface and design. “We have worked on an entirely new design and are continuously integrating more partners, such as camera systems. We want growers to be able to easily add new sensors themselves through a plug-and-play system. We are also investing in API management, so growers can create and disconnect connections with sensor providers and climate computers on their own. Our goal is to make the platform as user-friendly as possible.”