Agro-invest operates farms and greenhouses in Russia and the company is based in Moscow. A 20 ha greenhouse has been constructed by Dalsem in the Kaluga region for Agro-Invest. This is the first stage of a project that will consist of a total of 238 ha.
Challenge
The local government is dedicated to diversifying the local economy with the cultivation of tomatoes, cucumbers and vegetable greens. The goal is to become self-sufficient in the production of vegetables in the future.
The greenhouses build by Dalsem are fully equipped for the production of 10 hectares of tomatoes and 8 hectares of cucumbers. One hectare will be prepared for the propagation of young plants and seedlings and another hectare for the cultivation of herbs. Dalsem and Agro-Invest were looking for a system that provided high tech automation solutions to control all processes in the greenhouse. The climate computer needed to be flexible, reliable and easy to use.
Solution & Results
This led to the choice of Hoogendoorn to provide high tech automation solutions. The climate computer plays an important role in the control of all processes in the 20-hectare business.
The growing area is fully equipped with systems for heating, high pressure fogging, roof sprinkler systems, substrate irrigation, substrate cultivation, CO2 dosing, overhead (1000W) and intermediate (250W) lights and screens. The propagation and herbs areas are equipped with aluminum rolling benches and ebb and flood irrigation. Collection of rainwater and reuse of drainage water and purification of well water are included. The energy building is equipped with four co-generators of 9,285 MW each. Additionally, this building is equipped with four hot water boilers with a capacity of 11.6 MW each.
Dalsem and Agro-Invest made a reasoned choice for the Hoogendoorn climate computer iSii to manage every aspect, from climate to irrigation and energy. The most important reasons are the flexibility, reliability and user-friendliness of the system. It is very easy to switch languages quickly. This allows the Dutch crop advisor and the Russian manager to log into the system and adjust the settings, each in their own language. In addition, all settings of the iSii climate computer are flexibly configurable, allowing the computer to operate optimally for any given project.