To accelerate the process of breeding crops such as barley, breeding company Nordic Seed has just opened the doors to a brand new indoor facility with a total solution from DGT by Senmatic. Nordic Seed expects to increase the speed of the initial stages of breeding from 3 to 4 years to just one year.
Growing crops has always depended on the season; some are grown in spring and others in winter. Or rather, that’s how it used to be. With the brand new 2,200 m2 greenhouse, Danish breeding company Nordic Seed can now grow crops such as barley all year round and independently of the natural growing season in winter. In just one calendar year, the company expects to be able to grow three to four generations – something that would take three to four years in the field.
The purpose of crop breeding is, most importantly, to improve yields, disease resistance and end quality. In other words, breeding ensures that the number of usable crops harvested per hectare increases.
“Through breeding, we can improve yields by approximately 0.5-0.75% annually. With our new indoor facilities, where we can control everything from climate, light, irrigation and fertilizer in different sections, we expect to accelerate the process and achieve even better results.”
Jens Due Jensen Head of Barley Breeding at Nordic Seed
Indoor growing technologies improve outdoor crops
As an expert in indoor growing technologies, DGT by Senmatic was chosen to provide technological solutions for the extensive project. The delivery included all electrical installations, climate control, irrigation and fertilization systems, piping and ventilation.
“We are highly specialized in tailor-made and flexible high-tech solutions for the horticultural industry and were chosen as a turnkey supplier for climate, irrigation/fertilizer, piping and ventilation. With experience from similar research centers, we were able to guide Nordic Seed through the entire process.”
Morten Hjorth Area Sales Manager in DGT by Senmatic
Indoor growing technologies such as irrigation, fertilizer, climate, ventilation and humidity can all be controlled from an adjacent office where employees can monitor growing conditions and analyze data from the system.
Uniform growing conditions throughout the house ensure stability
By creating a greenhouse where all key parts of plant growth can be controlled, a homogeneous growth environment is created, which means that Nordic Seed can now be sure that the crops have exactly the same growing conditions throughout the greenhouse – and stability is crucial when breeding crops, says Jens Due Jensen.
“Most cereal crops will naturally aim to become 100% inbred, as this makes them genetically stable. Breeding starts with creating diversity through controlled crosses. The breeder identifies interesting parents that have high quality in terms of disease resistance and yield to create a controlled cross. After the cross, the lines must be inbred for 3-4 generations before the best line can be selected. The greenhouse and its technology means that we can speed up the inbreeding process and allows us to work all year round without being limited by the seasons.”
Jens Due Jensen Head of Barley Breeding at Nordic Seed
Flexible irrigation system
A crucial factor for Nordic Seed was the ability to divide the greenhouse into sections. In particular, Nordic Seed wanted to be able to work with several different crops at different stages and analyze their quality.
DGT by Senmatic therefore installed a flexible irrigation system that can be divided into smaller sections via irrigation valves for each individual table. In industrial greenhouses, valves typically water up to 20 tables simultaneously. With this solution, each individual table can be precisely controlled, and nutrients, watering times and fertilizers can be tailored to each crop on each table, growing a diverse range of crops much faster. The precise monitoring and control provides complete flexibility.
The system also makes it possible to water with different fertilizer recipes. The recipes are predefined from a central computer and delivered to the selected table directly from the fertilizer mixer. The mixer also checks pH values. Nordic Seeds’ new greenhouse has 80 tables in total, two irrigation lines, two fertilizer tanks and two return water basins.
DGT by Senmatic as your partner throughout the process
In the initial part of the project, DGT by Senmatic provided special consulting and planning of the project, while starting the construction phase by carrying out all piping and electrical installations.
From there, the technological solutions were installed: AMI Penta irrigation and fertilizer mixer, LCC4 electronic climate control, RTF7 sensor for temperature, humidity and CO2 control, and gear motors and gear racks for ventilation.
“The project illustrates how we always work regardless of the scope of the installation: from initial consulting partner to installation of technology that meets the quality requirements, and on to maintenance. And always with the customer’s specific needs in focus”
Conclusion by Morten Hjorth Area Sales Manager at DGT by Senmatic
Ultimate climate control for all greenhouses
Greenhouses contain ecosystems that need high-quality climate control to ensure the best growing conditions. The different climate components and processes are efficiently adapted to each other through electronic climate control. Electronic and automated climate control is relevant for all commercial greenhouses and other types of grow setups and brings several benefits:
- Increased yield
- Higher plant quality
- Improved efficiency and resource savings
- Prevents waste of energy, water and nutrients
- Increases the precision of growth through accurate control
- Ensure minimum errors with user-friendly and data-driven climate control
Irrigation and fertilizer mixer with world-class precision
To create optimal growing conditions, plants need the right amount of water at the right time. Our irrigation and fertilizer mixers ensure that water is delivered to the plants at exactly the right time, in the right amount and with the right nutrients in the right mixing ratio, the right concentration and with a constantly adjusted pH value.
- For precise watering and fertilizing
- Almost everything can be customized
- High precision software
- Can be connected to our climate control using our SuperLink software
- Reuse return water and optimize your water resources
Our mechanical climate control ensures optimal ventilation
Ventilation is necessary to maintain optimal growing conditions in greenhouses. DGT by Senmatic provides patented racks and gear motors to suit all voltage levels, speeds and power supplies:
- Minimal maintenance requirements
- Low noise level
- High reliability and flexibility
- Long lifetime
About Nordic Seed
Nordic Seed was established in 2008 through a merger of Pajbjergfonden, Abed Fonden and DLA Agro. Nordic Seed aims to develop healthy, high-yielding cereal crops and a variety of legumes for the benefit of the agricultural sector in Denmark and Northern Europe. Nordic Seed has 1025 hectares for grain breeding, variety development and seed and grain trading. The company is part of the trading groups Danish Agro and Vestjyllands Andel, which together employ 5,000 employees and are owned by 11,000 Danish farmers.
Want to know more?
Are you interested in learning more about turnkey climate solutions? Or do you initially want to develop your business through small purchases of growth technologies? At DGT by Senmatic, we are experts in both small and large installations and look forward to talking to you about the possibilities for your business.
