Advanced agricultural machinery and technologies are revolutionizing cluster tomato farming in a smart greenhouse in Ulanqab, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, boosting yields by up to five times compared with traditional methods.
Cluster tomatoes, also known as tomatoes on the vine or truss tomatoes, are a type of tomatoes harvested in clusters attached to the vine. The owner of the 300,000-square-meter greenhouse said that now is the peak harvest season for the tomato, with each plant capable of producing up to 40 clusters of fruits.
According to workers there, the cultivation and management of tomato plants are largely supported by technological advancements.
Notably, tomatoes there thrive without soil. Due to the application of soilless cultivation techniques, their roots are anchored securely in coconut coir substrates made from the fibrous husk of coconuts. Each plant requires just six liters of substrate, and is irrigated and monitored by an automated irrigation and monitoring system.
Real-time sensor networks are used to monitor critical environmental parameters, including temperature, humidity, light intensity, and carbon dioxide levels, from designated sample plants, allowing staff to accurately assess the nutritional balance across an entire growing zone.
To ensure a good harvest, the greenhouse also adopts biological pest control methods including pheromone traps and sticky boards. Through the fusion of scientific management and technological innovation, the smart greenhouse achieves year-round tomato production, yielding about 22 kilograms of tomatoes per square meter, which is three to five times higher than conventional greenhouse products.
High-tech empowers tomato planting in smart greenhouse
