Vertify benefits from Plantonomy™: Stability and ease of use

From skepticism to full confidence

The trial started at Vertify about a year and a half ago. Vertify is an agricultural research center in the field of applied research, located in the World Horti Center. This was a big change at the time for manager Cor van Staalduinen. Plantonomy alters settings based on the needs of the plant and it does this all by itself, automatically. Cor explains how he was skeptical at the beginning of the process: "I found it hard to believe that a program could do it better than me. Until I noticed that the crop was always in perfect shape and that it saved me time.  It has been running well for over a year now and I trust the system completely!"

Ease of use and stability

Where growers normally have to regularly alter settings, this is no longer necessary with Plantonomy. Cor: "The program now makes the choices for me that I previously had to make on a daily basis. For example, I don't have to think about whether I'm going to heat at 18 degrees or 20 degrees and how much water I give every day. For example, if you want to grow more generatively, you normally have to change about 20 to 30 settings. With Plantonomy, it's just one. I fully trust the program to act proactively, faster than I could myself. Plantonomy makes the right decisions for the plant based on factual information." This is done automatically, which means you have to spend less time adjusting settings. "That provides peace of mind. In myself, but also in the development of the crop, in the company and in the result. Especially in tomato cultivation, this stability in crop development is very important," says Cor.

Scaling up becomes easier

Besides ease of use and stability, Plantonomy has other advantages. It offers large growers the possibility to further scale up. One grower can therefore more easily manage larger greenhouses or multiple locations. Cor: "This is a big plus when you consider that experienced growers are scarce nowadays. With the help of Plantonomy it becomes a lot easier to grow your business because specific knowledge is no longer necessary."

Technology as an ally

Autonomous growing is a hot topic in the horticultural sector and more and more parties are investing in this development. Where the early adopters have already experienced the success, most are still skeptical. When Cor speaks to other growers, he often hears, ‘That program can't beat me.’ "I get that because you have to see it first before you believe it. Thanks to my experience, I now see the success of Plantonomy and believe that the program is an ally". The program is not a substitute for the grower but takes tasks off his hands. "Adjusting at a detailed level or having to make half-degree adjustments is no longer necessary. By partly handing over the work, you become even better and can focus on important matters, such as: Where do I want to go with my business? Which nutrients and crop protection products do I use?”