Benefits of the Strawberry Aeroframe
The strawberry cultivation system is designed to optimize growth, ensuring maximum yield and quality. From transplanting to continuous berry harvesting, the process can be fully or partially automated, maintaining the highest standards of hygiene and consistency
Maximized Yield and Space Efficiency
The Aeroframe's three-dimensional structure allows for a higher density of plants per unit area compared to traditional systems, leading to increased yields. This efficient use of space can potentially double production capacity within the same greenhouse footprint.
Efficient Water and Nutrient Use
Aeroponics uses up to 95% less water than traditional soil-based methods. The Aeroframe's precise nutrient delivery minimizes waste, ensuring plants receive exactly what they need, conserving resources and reducing environmental impact.
Superior Plant Health and Quality
Aeroponic systems provide optimal oxygen and nutrients to plant roots, promoting healthier growth and higher-quality strawberries. The controlled environment reduces the risk of soil-borne diseases and pests, resulting in cleaner and healthier fruit.
Scalability and Flexibility
The Aeroframe system is adaptable, allowing growers to easily scale operations. Its modular design can be implemented in existing greenhouses or new facilities, supporting different stages of strawberry growth and enabling continuous production cycles.
How the Strawberries System Works
1. Strawberry Boards
- 60 cm width, 140 cm height: 21 plant sites. Density from 29 plants/m2
- 60 cm width, 140 cm height: 24 plant sites. Density from 33 plants/m2
2. Planting
Frigo strawberry plants are manually transplanted into plant boards and the boards are pushed onto to the Aeroframe system.
Optionally, this step can be automated.
3. Growing
Strawberry boards are tilted to a 60° angle during plant vegetation period.
Our unique Aeroframe system is equipped with mobile aeroponic irrigators that travel and spray plant roots with required irrigation intervals.
Typical intervals for strawberries: 3-7 seconds spray, 11-18 min rest and oxygenation.
Because of intervals, irrigators can travel 40-60 meters inside the Aeroframe structure. For a 100 meter-long row, 2 irrigators will be used. Aeroponic sprayers use Freya’s unique ultrasonic technology, which is very low energy, does not require high pressure, produces 50-100µm droplets and completely uncloggable. As a result, all aeroponic liquid is recirculated.
Aeroframe system has sliding boards, which means that strawberry boards will easily travel to desired location and stay there through growing cycle, additionally sliding boards ensure easy board removal after growth cycle. Therefore, up to 2x growing area can be created per greenhouse floor.
Because aeroponic irrigation is used, plant development is faster and higher yield is achieved. Also, no additional oxygenation is needed. Disease development / spread is suppressed due to oxygenated root environment.
Lighting penetrates the canopy from the moving sun during the day as well as top-lighting.
Airflow & humidity management is also better due to plants at an angle.
4. Continuous harvesting
When strawberries start to ripen, harvesting can be done in three ways: manually, with 80 cm spacing between Aeroframes in a row; fully automated, using harvesting robots with 20 cm spacing between Aeroframes; or semi-automated, where plant boards within an Aeroframe move in a circular motion and harvesting is done manually at one end, also with 20 cm spacing.
Other operational aspects
Irrigation
Plants are irrigated and fertigated automatically by Freya’s Mobile Irrigators. These powerful irrigators travel in accordance with irrigation intervals and disperse nutrient-rich mist.
Irrigators are completely uncloggable and utilize proprietary ultrasonic sprayers. High flowrates, durability, low maintenance and full connectivity with the FreyaOS platform will quickly let you forget about these mobile machines travelling within the Aeroframe structures.
Light Matters
Freya’s Aeroframe system is designed to optimize natural sunlight exposure, with angles that ensure excellent sun penetration. For retrofitted greenhouses, we strategically adjust Aeroframe placement to maximize sunlight, while turnkey greenhouse projects will benefit greatly from engaging us during the planning phases.
Additionally, we collaborate with leading lighting partners to provide highly effective artificial lighting solutions, which are no more expensive than typical top lights for horizontal systems. Our approach guarantees that plants receive the optimal light necessary for growth, whether through natural sunlight or advanced artificial lighting.
Technologies behind the Aeroframe
Explore the proprietary technologies and methodologies that enable the Aeroframe cultivation platform
Core technologies
Pilot the Aeroframe
Discover the new level of productivity our cutting-edge Aeroframe platform. Explore piloting the Aeroframe to and evaluate its potential for retrofitting your existing facilities. Click here to start transforming your cultivation practices today!