Technology

Water and nutrition

Water quality in, nutrition dialled in, drain water recovered. A closed water strategy is both the sustainable option and the economical one.

6 topics

Pre-treatment

Source water decides the whole design. Iron, hardness, salinity, and pathogens all have to be dealt with before a nutrient recipe means anything.

Full source water analysis as the starting point
Filtration, iron removal, and softening as required
Disinfection to keep pathogens out of the irrigation loop

Fertilization

A nutrient recipe is written for a specific crop, stage, and climate. It changes as the plant and the weather change.

Recipes formulated from the source water analysis, not a generic table
Adjustment by crop stage and by season
Verification through solution and drain analysis

Dosing

The dosing unit is where the recipe becomes reality. Accuracy and reliability here show up directly in crop uniformity.

Automated dosing controlled to target electrical conductivity and pH
Multi-channel injection so elements can be steered independently
Alarms and fail-safes, because a dosing fault is a fast crop loss

Post-treatment

Water that has passed the root zone carries nutrients and, potentially, pathogens. Treating it is what makes recirculation safe.

Filtration to remove organic matter and particles
Disinfection by ultraviolet, heat, or slow sand filtration
Verification before the water rejoins the supply

Drainwater recycling

Recirculation is where controlled-environment growing earns its water reputation. It also stops fertiliser leaving the site as pollution.

Drain collected, measured, and analysed rather than discarded
Nutrients recovered and rebalanced back into the supply
Sharply reduced water and fertiliser use per unit of production

Hydroponics and substrates

Growing without soil gives direct control of the root zone, and removes an entire category of soil-borne disease from the equation.

Substrate culture on cocopeat or rockwool for fruiting crops
Deep flow and nutrient film systems for leafy crops
Root-zone moisture, temperature, and oxygen managed as control variables

PreviousHeat, humidity, and air NextControl and closed systems

Keep exploring

More inTechnology.

7 topicsStructure and envelopeThe building is a climate instrument. Its height, venting, and covering decide how much work the machinery has to do afterwards.

4 topicsHeat, humidity, and airThe goal is not a cool greenhouse, it is a crop that transpires steadily all day. That means managing heat, humidity, and carbon dioxide together.

3 topicsControl and closed systemsThe layer that ties the rest together: control software, energy and water strategy, and fully closed production.

Let's grow the futureof farming together.

Partner with our researchers, pilot smartagri on your fields, or join the team building data-driven agriculture.

Start a project Explore partnerships