“We are always striving to improve the efficiency of our operations, and our innovative hybrid vertical farming system proves that yields can be increased by up to twofold. Strawberry seedlings are rotated to obtain the maximum amount of natural solar energy, which is supplemented with artificial light when necessary. This is an example of what can be achieved through the use of ingenuity and technology in agriculture.” –James Dyson
Dyson continually strives to maximize farm productivity and the quality of its products. The latest development in this greenhouse is the hybrid vertical growing system developed by Dyson. Tests of this system have just ended. The results exceeded all expectations, achieving a 250% increase in yields while optimizing fruit quality.
Instead of arranging strawberry plants in straight rows, the Dyson system places the seedlings on huge 5.5-meter-high Ferris wheel-like structures that rotate the seedlings to take advantage of the full height of the greenhouse. This solution allowed for a significant increase in the strawberry cultivation area in the same area.
Two aluminum structures – each larger than two back-to-back double-decker buses – rotate containers of strawberry plants to provide them with optimal exposure to natural light, while installed LED lighting provides additional light during the winter months when there is less sunlight. An innovative, permanent irrigation and drainage system ensures proper root development.
About a technologically advanced greenhouse
The greenhouse is equipped with advanced robots that select and harvest only the ripest fruit, using vision sensors, manipulation mechanisms and automatic pruners. The remaining robots run on rails next to the plants, illuminating them with UV light at night to prevent mold growth and keep the crops in good condition. Instead of using pesticides and insecticides, robots spread predatory insects that fight aphids all year round.
Next to the greenhouse there is a Dyson Farming biogas plant, which ensures year-round strawberry production. Crops from surrounding fields are introduced into the digester and broken down by microorganisms, producing gas that powers a generator that provides two types of energy:
- electricity that meets the energy needs of 10,000 households;
- the heat that is supplied to the greenhouse along with CO2 ensures optimal conditions for growing strawberries all year round.
The digestate waste is reintroduced into the soil as organic fertilizer to increase crop yields.
Robert Kyle, Dyson engineer, emphasizes: “We designed and built every element of the hybrid vertical growing system ourselves – it was painstaking work that we carried out with great passion over the last 12 months. We built the largest machines in Dyson’s history and placed 6,000 strawberry plants in their area. Thanks to the slow rotation of the entire system and an advanced, innovative drainage system, the plants thrive and produce deliciously sweet fruit.”
Daniel Cross from Dyson Farming added: “The research shows how yields of delicious, high-quality fruit grown in a vertical greenhouse can be dramatically increased if the right conditions are provided. It’s not just about strawberries. There’s so much more we can do, and the precision with which Dyson engineers approach testing and improvement is unrivaled in the farming industry.”
