Technology keeps cherries cool

Agricultural businesses consistently require tailor made solutions which are sustainable and cost effective to ensure that they provide the market with quality products.

Agricultural businesses consistently require tailor made solutions which are sustainable and cost effective to ensure that they provide the market with quality products.

Euca Technologies, one the country’s leading end-to-end monitoring solutions provider, offers customers products that expand on the integrity of their operations by seamlessly bringing together smart data acquisition and quality assurance for the end user as well as the environment. Euca Technologies can find best solution for their clients’ needs. They have a dedicated team of experts who, coupled with their dynamic technology, offer bespoke solutions to their clients. One such bespoke solution is the overhead cooling system that was installed for one of them in 2021 at Cherries of Eden, a cherry orchard in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

“The cherry trees are indigenous to Canada and so we had to make sure that the environment in which they are growing simulates conditions that are conducive to producing the best yield possible,” explains Peter Van Zyl, Euca Technologies sales director. “Cherries of Eden utilises our NviroSense system along with IO controllers, temperature, and humidity data loggers as well as thermacouples. The thermacouples have been inserted into the actual cherry blossoms at different heights and areas within the orchard to ensure we obtain accurate data. Through these we can assist our client to create and maintain the environment to be favourable for this cherry strain,” adds Peter.

Put simply the system installed by Euca at Cherries of Eden, is a “detect, monitor and respond” system but can be adapted to any applications that may be needed in future by the client. The innovative and adaptable nature of NviroSense allows for various applications to be added on as per client
requirements.

“Our client at Cherries of Eden was very open to the system as they needed a solution that could assist them with monitoring technology over a vast area; a system that allows them to log in remotely and they needed their various software platforms centralised. We as Euca then stepped in to assist them in addressing these needs and they are already seeing the benefits of the system.”

“According to the client, the main principle with the overhead cooling system is to keep the trees in dormancy. If they stay cold, they perform and grow better in the summer – that way they’ll be able to obtain healthier and stronger growth and better yield potential,” concludes Peter.

If you are looking for a unique solution for your business – contact the team at Euca now and find out how they can help you.

Photo of probe and cherry twig used courtesy of Euca Technologies.

Relevant pages on Agribook include “Deciduous fruit” and “Digital agriculture“.