Stage 3 of d'VineRipe's expansion of its 27-hectare tomato glasshouse facility in South Australia is set to open this week ahead of its swinging into full production in December this year.
The $25 million project, which started in February this year, has created he largest facility of its type in the southern hemisphere. It brings total investment in the facility since 2006 to $90 million.
The 10-hectare expansion to the high tech glasshouse at Two Wells, north of Adelaide, incorporates an innovative pad and fan climate control system, as well as sophisticated new glass technology. It will lift total output from the site to some 15,000 tonnes of truss tomatoes a year when in full operation
“While we’ve used similar types of building materials and construction techniques across all three stages, the most significant change to water management has been driven by our location in South Australia (being the driest state in Australia) and our philosophy based on sustainability and continuous improvement,” d'Vine Ripe general manager, Jon Jones explained.
“Previously, pure condensated water produced as a result of heating the glasshouse was diverted to ponds where it evaporated. During Stage 3 construction, we implemented new water harvesting systems to collect and reuse that water. We are now capturing 10,000-15,000 litres of extra water a day to reuse on the crop.
“Also, parts of the Stage 3 construction include a different type of glass which allows more useful light to filter through to the plants as photosynthesis is the only part of the protected cropping environment we can’t control.”
The row lengths in Stage 3 have also been extended to135 metres to maximise yield and crop management efficiency.
The number of sensor-operated automated guided vehicles (AGVs) used throughout the facility has also increased from 80 to more than 100. The AGVs, which travel in front of harvesting staff, deliver picked tomatoes from the glasshouse floor to the packing facility.
“With all the technology we have at our fingertips, all crop work is carried out by hand, not machines – the tomatoes are still pollinated and picked by hand. The computer systems we have ensure full traceability so we can help improve our worker time management and introduce further efficiencies,” Jones said.
Stage 3 was constructed in conjunction with world leading glasshouse manufacturer van der Hoeven of Holland, and its partner suppliers, Arend Sosef and Priva, also from Holland.
Jones said harvesting of Stage 3's first tomato crop would be underway by Christmas.
Stage 3 of d'VineRipe's enormous greenhouse complex outside Adelaide.
