ONDO has already started work on the automation of the irrigation, precise fertigation and climate control for 1 ha of greenhouses and open fields in Maritsa Vegetable Crops Research Institute in Plovdiv. Maritsa Institute is one of the three National Science Demo Centers where the ONDO solutions will be demonstrated, as part of the project AgroDigiRise of the European Digital Innovation Hub AgroHub.bg.
3 science demo points and 13 farm demo points will become demo centers that showcase the usage of innovative technologies for automated precision faming, with the ONDO solutions being one of those. In a period of 3 years – which is the duration of the project AgroDigiRise – the selected demo points will be actively using the digital technologies integrated in them, will be sharing the results they achieve and will also be setting up demonstrations on-site. The demo events will be accessible to all farmers, students, agricultural specialists and other professionals and organizations working in the sphere of agriculture, in South Central Bulgaria but also throughout the rest of the country.
In Maritsa Institute our team is already working on a new irrigation system in the greenhouses. Coming next is the integration of the ONDO solutions for the automation of the irrigation and precise fertigation in the greenhouses, as well as in part of the open fields of the Institute. Then, we will also be working on integrating our climate control solutions in the greenhouse. Finally, we will also be setting up monitoring for a number of soil parameters, considering the specifics of the clay-sandy soil of the region.
Take a look at a short video for the set-off of the ONDO automation project in Maritsa Institute:
We expect that the automation of this first National science demo center would be completed end of April. Then, every vegetable farmer interested in seeing the integrated technologies would be able to join a demo event, and come over and watch the ONDO solutions for automated irrigation, precise fertigation and climate control in action. The farmers will also be able to talk to an ONDO specialist who will consult them about the opportunity to integrate the technology demonstrated in their own farms.
„With the help of ONDO, this year Maritsa Institute will start practicing highly technological methods of growing vegetables and seeds. Thanks to the vegetable breeds developed by the Institute, the ONDO solutions for automation and control of the processes, and the expert team of the Institute, we will surely achieve impressive results that will convince the Bulgarian farmers in the benefits they can reap by using the technology innovations in the sphere of agriculture “, said Ivaylo Enev, CEO and Sales manager at ONDO.
Maritsa Institute has been founded in 1930 and ever since is actively working to create Bulgarian breeds of vegetables. The organization has a huge professional team in its science departments, a center for Technology transfer and experimental fields, where vegetable and potato crops are being selected and grown, for the needs of the biggest vegetable-growing region in Bulgaria – the Thracian valley.
