During the Greentech in Amsterdam 11-14 June 2018 the book “Plant Empowerment The basic principles” was successfully presented for the first time. Many enthusiastic growers, consultants, and researchers have requested for the digital brochure, and also more than 250 copies of the book have been ordered by individuals and companies in this first week.
June 15 2018
Plant Empowerment book presented during GreenTech 2018
Published: June 20, 2018
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Empower your plants
In the Greentech Climate, water & energy theater, Peter van Weel presented some of the principles of Plant Empowerment for a live audience. One of the surprising topics was the high added value of the use of energy screens in greenhouses without a heating system.
Plant Empowerment: a plant production strategy that combines the power of physiology and physics. What is the most sustainable way of growing in my greenhouse, to convert the available resources into maximum production and quality? In the book “Plant Empowerment; the basic principles” , methods are explained to give your plants the right energy. Empower your Plants!
Why Plant Empowerment?
Typically, traditional plant production methods are based on a mix of blueprints, best practices, common knowledge of plant physiology, as well as the ‘green fingers’ and ‘emotional perception’ of the growers. This approach has been successful, but also has several limitations:
- Blueprints are valid only under specific (outdoor) climate conditions
- The human sensory perception provides false information about the plant status
- Sensor-based climate control is not directly related to plant growth or plant status
- Most of the physiological knowledge is based on mono-factorial plant research
What is Plant Empowerment?
Growing by Plant Empowerment (GPE) brings the different pieces of experience and knowledge together in an integrated approach. Its starting point is the natural behaviour of plants related to the greenhouse environment described by six balances concerning energy, water, CO2 and assimilates. Monitoring these balances utilizing sensors, combined with crop measurements in a coherent framework based on physical and plant physiological knowledge and insights, provides hard facts required to control and improve the cultivation process.