Early stress detected by Gardin Pulse help Delphy protect premium strawberry quality

"Gardin sensors added value in seeing a response before we saw the crop deteriorating. I could definitely see the sensors being used to enhance quality and yield in lit crops, particularly as a way to increase their light use efficiency."

Stijn Jochems, Researcher at Delphy Improvement Centre.

At the Delphy Improvement Centre, research was done on the winter cultivation of strawberries in the Netherlands. During the 23/24 trial, Delphy partnered with Gardin to test whether early detection of plant stress could help during cultivation. Gardin's sensors provided an early warning of photosynthetic decline four weeks before visible symptoms appeared. In figure 1 we can see this decline lead to a reduction of 18% in quality.

Fig.1 Left: Chlorophyll fluorescence values of max photosynthetic efficiency in Albion and Favori berries over the winter season. Right: ratio of class-1 to class-2 berries fell from 1.00 to 0.85, showing an 15% decrease in top-grade yield.

A downgrade from Class-1 strawberries to Class-2 can mean a loss of up to 60 percent in value. Gardin's measurements allowed the researchers to intervene and get the strawberry quality back on track, which resulted in a x5 return on investment or payback in under ten days in prevented quality loss.

Introduction

In fresh produce supply chains, quality determines margin. A kilogram of strawberries downgraded from Class-1 to Class-2 can lose 40–60% of its value, while aborted fruits yield no return at all despite consuming significant resources. Preventing such losses hinges on early detection catching physiological stress before it becomes visible, before it impacts yield, and before it erodes profitability.

The earlier stress is detected, the more effective and economical the response:

• Time to Act: Early warning allows corrective actions—adjusting irrigation, ventilation, or biological controls—before stress becomes systemic.
• Protect Quality Premium: Maintaining Class-1 classification preserves price premiums and buyer trust.
• Reduce Input Waste: Intervening early requires lower doses of treatments, reducing costs and environmental footprint.

Traditional crop monitoring methods, such as visual scouting and thermal imaging lag behind plant physiology. By the time they detect issues, it's often too late. Gardin offers a fundamentally different approach using chlorophyll fluorescence to measure photosynthetic efficiency in real time — a direct, quantitative window into plant health.

Comparing Chlorophyll Fluorescence To Other Crop Monitoring Methods

Chlorophyll fluorescence, specifically the Fv/Fm ratio, measures the performance of Photosystem II, a core component of photosynthesis. A decline in this signal indicates that plants are no longer efficiently converting light into sugars, often weeks before any visual symptom appears. This early window enables proactive intervention, safeguarding yield and quality.

Case Study: Strawberry Production at Delphy Improvement Centre (Winter 2023 - 24)

In a controlled trial conducted at the Delphy Improvement Centre in the Netherlands, Gardin monitored strawberry crops grown under different light recipes. Although light spectra had some effect, the dominant event was a significant drop in fruit quality around Christmas, where the Class-1 to Class-2 ratio declined from 1.00 to 0.82 — an 18% drop in top-grade yield.

Fig.3 Albion (top) and Favori (bottom) photosynthetic efficiency and berry quality during Winter 23/24 season.

Critically, Gardin detected this risk four weeks in advance, identifying a steep fall in photosynthetic efficiency. The root cause was identified as insufficient pruning, which left aging, starch-filled leaves that no longer contributed effective photosynthesis for fruit development. Once the vegetative canopy was refreshed, photosynthetic performance and yield quality recovered.

Fig.4 Albion (top) and Favori (bottom)

Gardin was able to quantify the value of its early warning during these four weeks as a >5x ROI, using the following assumptions:

Gardin's technology leverages the universal biology of chlorophyll, meaning it works across all major crops — lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, herbs — and in all environments. The same sensor provides quantitative, comparable metrics across greenhouses, varieties, and growing strategies, unlocking benchmarking at scale.

Conclusion

Chlorophyll fluorescence transforms plant physiology into measurable data. By continuously monitoring the core engine of plant productivity (photosynthesis) Gardin's platform provides growers with early, actionable insights into plant stress well before symptoms become visible or yield declines occur. This early warning capability empowers growers to optimise their cultivation strategies in real time, safeguarding quality, improving input efficiency, and ultimately increasing profitability.

In a marketplace where quality determines success, the ability to maintain a high proportion of premium-grade yield is a necessity. Gardin delivers this advantage through a scalable, intuitive, and science-backed solution that works across crops, varieties, and growing environments. It replaces guesswork with data, subjective inspection with quantitative metrics, and late-stage reaction with preventative action.

The true cost growers face today is the lost revenue, wasted inputs, and damaged buyer relationships caused by issues that could have been caught earlier. In this context, Gardin is not merely a sensor platform, it's a strategic tool for quality assurance, operational efficiency, and risk management.

To start your journey towards understanding your plants better, please contact us to start the sales process.