Key Takeaways
- Blue Radix has expanded its Crop Controller AI platform to strawberry greenhouse production, following proven results in vegetable crops.
- The system reduces manual climate setting adjustments from multiple times per day to approximately twice per month.
- French growers' cooperative SCAAFEL has already deployed the technology, citing improved weather responsiveness and labor relief.
- Crop Controller calculates climate profiles every hour, projecting 3 days ahead at 5-minute intervals, operating autonomously around the clock.
- The system targets key strawberry disease risks including botrytis and powdery mildew through consistent, stable climate management.
Blue Radix Brings Autonomous Climate Control to Strawberry Growers
Blue Radix has introduced Crop Controller for strawberry greenhouse production, bringing its AI-driven autonomous growing platform to one of horticulture's most climate-sensitive crops. The expansion follows the system's established track record in vegetable production and targets growers facing mounting labor shortages and operational complexity.
Addressing Strawberry-Specific Growing Challenges
Strawberries require tightly controlled humidity, temperature, and leaf wetness conditions to limit disease pressure — factors that have traditionally demanded constant human attention. With Crop Controller, Blue Radix aims to replace that daily intervention with continuous, automated decision-making. The system calculates climate profiles on an hourly basis for a 3-day window at 5-minute resolution, steering greenhouse installations through the climate computer without requiring grower input beyond roughly two manual adjustments per month.
“This marks an important next step for us, driven by a clear demand in the market for more stable and autonomous control in strawberry cultivation. Strawberries are highly sensitive to humidity, temperature fluctuations, and leaf wetness, which makes precise and consistent climate control essential to reducing disease pressure. That level of control stability is critical in strawberry production, yet growers are under constant pressure to achieve more with limited time, labor and resources. With Crop Controller for strawberries, we extend our proven autonomous technology from vegetables to a crop that strongly benefits from stable, data-driven climate decisions,” said Rudolf de Vetten, Chief Product Officer at Blue Radix.
Early Adoption at French Cooperative SCAAFEL
SCAAFEL, a French strawberry growers' cooperative, has been among the first to deploy the technology. Technical Manager Jeremy Riviere noted that rapid farm expansion had made sourcing experienced crop managers increasingly difficult — a challenge the system has helped address.
“Our farms have grown rapidly in recent years, but finding experienced crop managers is becoming increasingly difficult. Crop Controller helped address this challenge. Autonomous climate control helps us respond better to changing weather conditions while freeing up valuable time for our farm managers. Especially in highly variable weather, daily adjustments take a lot of time, time that simply isn't available. Although adopting a new system requires some adjustments at first, autonomous growing is an inevitable step forward if you want to stay competitive as a strawberry grower,” said Jeremy Riviere, Technical Manager at SCAAFEL.
Blue Radix AI Platform: How It Works
Beyond monitoring, Crop Controller executes full decision automation within the greenhouse. It continuously processes sensor data, greenhouse readings, and local weather forecasts to steer climate systems in alignment with each grower's defined crop strategy — consistently across all compartments and locations. The platform is supported by Blue Radix's team of Autonomous Greenhouse Managers, who provide crop expertise and ongoing performance oversight alongside the AI system.
Among the key outcomes the company highlights: reduced fungal disease pressure from botrytis and powdery mildew, more predictable yield, and the ability for smaller teams to manage greater greenhouse acreage.
