Dyson uses barn battles and robots to grow strawberries in a modern greenhouse throughout the year, increasing yields by up to 250%.
Dyson brands do not need to be introduced to anyone – the British company is known mainly for vacuum cleaners, dryers and other household appliances from the premium segment. Few people know, however, that James Dyson – the founder of the company – also invests funds in the development of modern agriculture. The most bright example of the company’s involvement in this branch is the greenhouse packed with technology, which has become home to over a million strawberries. They are grown throughout the year in a very unusual way.
Strawberries from Dyson
Dyson has been operating since the 90s, but the idea to invest in agriculture has appeared relatively recently. The strawberry initiative began in 2020, and in recent years the Farm in Lincolnshire has been developed by innovative methods. Dyson guides clear goals – create cultivation as efficient as possible as possible, with full respect for the environment.
The result of many years of work is Hybrid vertical Dyson cultivation systemwhose practical tests have just come to an end. Classic crops enthusiasts can surprise you very much, because Dyson created strawberries with a real lunapark. The company abandoned ordinary row and instead focused on a mechanical construction, reminiscent of a devil’s mill. It allowed to achieve yields much larger than initially expected.
“Plants are like producing things – I am a producer and I approach agriculture from this point of view. I want it to be more effective. What technology can we introduce to improve the quality and taste of food, better use the earth so that we can invest further and make changes in agriculture?” – James Dyson
Innovative greenhouse: vertical cropping of strawberries with robots and ecological support
The strawberry device is 5.5 meters high and operates on the principle of two rotating rollers inside which plants are located. This allows not only to increase the number of plants grown with a relatively small surface of the greenhouse, but also to even lighting of strawberries with two types of light-natural in spring and summer and LED winter. Rotary fighting is also evenly hydrated by plants thanks to simple automation.
This is not the end of technological tricks. Dyson to work involved robots choosing the sweetest fruit. The machines use the intelligent recognition system and gently select strawberries with scissors. At night, a second change enters the action, which illuminates the plants with UV light – this is to prevent the development of mold and bacteria. And there is also a matter of pesticides. Dyson completely gave them up and instead delegated the work to control the release of insects, feeding in aphids.
At the beginning I mentioned about pro -ecological solutions. The strawberry greenhouse was built next to the Dyson Farming biogas plant, which is why the greenhouse can operate throughout the year. The remains of crops from nearby farms are broken down by microorganisms, and then used for the production of gas driving a power and heat generator. Unexpeent leftovers again go to the fields in the form of fertilizer. Dyson has invested considerable money in these solutions, as much as 140 million pounds.
“I worked on farms in Norfolk when I was a boy, and although agriculture is not exactly in the blood, it became my passion with time. Today I am lucky that I could invest 140 million pounds in Dyson Farming.” – James Dyson
