Managing the many environmental factors in a greenhouse requires an enormous amount of time, energy and agronomic knowledge. This is why more and more market gardeners are using automation systems.
A great automation system should be configured as much as possible to help growers by providing the agronomic expertise needed to optimize their yield. This is why the Orisha team is working hard to meet your needs by offering new agronomic solutions that will make your job easier.
On Friday, March 24, 2023, our super technical support advisor, Frederic, presented these new configurations during our webinar on new developments at Orisha.
Here's a look at the new software and hardware that has been added to the Orisha automation system in the past year! For the full presentation, watch the video recording of the webinar.
Software
Several new features have been added to the Orisha app, which can be accessed with your cell phone or computer. Some of these new features include:
SMS Alerts (00:40)
It's super important to have your alerts set up. You now have the choice between alerts by phone call or by SMS!
To learn how to set up your alerts, check out this blog post!
Logbook (01:58)
A new free tool to keep track of your expenses, profitability and yield for each crop. This tool is continuously being improved with the help of your feedback, so don't hesitate to send us your comments!
News page (03:45)
This new page in the app allows you to stay on top of our latest offers and blog posts.
Multi-controller (04:50)
You can now have more than one central controller in the same application! This new feature is very useful for growers with remote greenhouses.
Each controller has its own "Farm" name, which you can select from the drop-down menu.
Wind graph (05:58)
You now have access to new data on the new "Outdoor Conditions" app page. One of these is a wind graph, a daily graph that shows you the wind speed at different times of the day.
You will also find a colour legend indicating the wind direction.
Solar intensity graph (06:37)
Also on the "Outdoor Conditions" page, you will find the new light intensity graph that allows you to see the data perceived by your solar collector. The graph shows you the intensity (W/m2) at different times of the day.
Solar accumulation graph (07:02)
The solar collector also uses light intensity to create a light accumulation graph. This new graph is located on the "Irrigation" page.
It is mainly used to trigger irrigation cycles. You can create irrigation schedules in the app in which there will be valve triggers based on solar accumulation. Basically, the more sunlight there is, the more often the valves will be triggered.
The graph shows the data in J/cm2 at different times of the day.
Thermal/shading screen (08:19)
Due to popular demand, the thermal covers and shades can now be automated! They will also be triggered by the solar sensor. If the sunlight exceeds a certain intensity, Orisha will deploy the thermal covers to shade the crops.
By default, the canvases will deploy themselves at sunset to have less space to heat. After all, who doesn't like to save on heating? At sunrise, the covers will gradually retract depending on the humidity.
Watch our webinar to get Fred's explanation of how to create the optimal program in the app!
Multistage heating (10:41)
This new feature is perfect for multi-stage furnaces, or dual energy! It is now possible to program several heating stages where different units will be activated according to the heating needed in the greenhouse.
To better understand this new feature, watch our webinar!
Heat pipes (13:05)
As a technology more and more used by market gardeners, we have added the opportunity to automate the heating pipes!
In the case of heating pipes, we will find a variable opening to heat. The automation of this type of equipment allows Orisha to understand the opening and closing time required.
Like the multi-stage heating, you will be able to use the programs by stage. Without a stage, the pipes will default to 100% opening.
Misting (14:45)
As of April of last year, you can now create misting programs using sunrise and sunset times to determine the start and end of each period. You could, for example, start your program 3 hours after sunrise and 4 hours before sunset.
Independent of the dehumidification program, this novelty is essential for the management of the cucumber beetle and other pests.
CO2 Sensor (18:14)
This sensor will read the CO2 in PPM (parts per million) in the greenhouse at different times of the day. You will find a daily graph on the climate page.
Automatic selection of cloud cover conditions (19:53)
No need to go to the app every day to manually select cloud cover! The Orisha app can now automatically select the cloud cover by searching online for the weather forecast announced by the local weather station.
Note that you can still manually select cloud cover.
Selection of vigour (21:56)
This new feature will allow you to achieve productive and vigorous plants, i.e. plants that optimize the use of their resources such as water or light to produce more fruit!
Simply indicate the condition of your plants and Orisha will adjust the 24-hour temperature of your greenhouse to balance the vigour of your plants by creating an ideal climate.
Grey action buttons (23:25)
Discreetly new, this addition to the app tells you when the central controller has failed to send a command to the multifunction box that activates your devices. Usually, the light turns green when the device is on and red when it is off.
Hardware
Several new features have been added to the Orisha devices. Among these new features are:
Side curtains unit (27:03)
Similar to the multi-function box, this new box has the sole function of opening and closing the opening sides of your greenhouse. This box can operate sides up to 200 feet long and you will find integrated LED lights that indicate the status of each relay.
Big bonus: the fuses in this box and the multifunction box have been changed to car fuses! This makes them easier to change.
Activation unit (28:30)
Also similar to the multifunction box, but smaller, this new box has 4 ON/OFF relays. You will also find in this one LED lights indicating if each relay is in "ON", "manual" or "no power" mode.
We have also added "Dry" or "Wet" contacts to eliminate the need for an external transformer, for example for valves, as well as switches that allow you to activate and deactivate the box itself.
Would you like a comparison of the multi-function box to the new activation box? Listen to Fred's explanation in the webinar at 31:38 minutes!
Central controller improvements (32:08)
Some improvements have been made to the central controllers such as there is an improvement in the range, obtained with the addition of an antenna and a coaxial cable, and of the connectivity by Ethernet cable.
Dry/wet bulb sensor (33:24)
Not so new, it's been more than a year since we added this sensor to our offer. Very much appreciated by agronomists according to the feedback we received, this sensor, like the standard temperature sensor, makes a temperature and humidity reading in the greenhouse.
Several advantages differentiate it from the standard sensor, such as an integrated fan that reduces the chances of creating microclimates in the sensor, thus offering a more accurate temperature reading. It also provides a more durable and reliable humidity reading.
Outside temperature sensor (36:30)
You can now have an outdoor temperature sensor! The same sensor as inside the greenhouse, it replaces the weather data provided by the internet with its own data from outside, allowing a localized reading done directly at your farm.
If you already have a temperature sensor in your greenhouse but are interested in the dry bulb/wet bulb sensor, you could take your greenhouse temperature sensor, move it outside and replace it with the dry bulb/wet bulb sensor inside.
Coming soon
Now that we've seen what's new, let's see what's coming soon! Of course, this section is subject to change.
Cold crops program (39:20)
This program will offer you integrated temperature and humidity management at a lower cost. Since the sun is not as strong in winter as in summer, you will be able to set a minimum and maximum temperature target independent of cloud cover for all hours of the day.
At the AI level, Orisha will make decisions to dehumidify the greenhouse at the lowest cost based on your set target. When you change seasons, Orisha will remember your program from last summer, no need to reconfigure it!
Thermal camera (41:08)
Knowing the temperature of a plant gives information about its transpiration, which directly impacts its growth and health.
With the thermal camera, you will be able to determine the temperature difference between the plants and their environment. Thus, you will be able to control your greenhouse according to the needs of the crops and not according to the climate.
Electrical conductivity (42:35)
Our goal is to make soil electrical conductivity data available as an indicator of the content of certain nutrients in the soil.
Knowing the electrical conductivity of the soil will help you determine when to irrigate and fertilize.
We would love to hear your comments and suggestions for this new feature, so don't hesitate to contact us!
Change to simplify, it starts with you! Tell us what you think of these new features and what you would like to see added. Which additions would be beneficial to you in the future? Let our team know!