This new offering introduces two key metrics – Plant Balance Factor (PBF) and Generative Trend Indicator (GTI) – empowering growers to move from reactive adjustments to proactive, data-driven steering.

AMSTERDAM - Thursday, 4 September - Source.ag, a Dutch-leading innovator in AI-powered horticulture solutions, today announced the launch of ‘Plant Balance Metrics', a new innovative feature of Source Workspace, designed to provide growers with unprecedented clarity into the physiological state of their crops. This new offering introduces two key metrics - Plant Balance Factor (PBF) and Generative Trend Indicator (GTI) - empowering growers to move from reactive adjustments to proactive, data-driven steering. Traditionally, growers have relied heavily on experience, visual inspection, and complex interpretations of disparate data points to assess their crop's health and determine optimal steering strategies. This often led to delayed adjustments, sub-optimal resource allocation, and a lack of quantitative insight into the plant's true energy dynamics. The challenge of understanding whether a plant has enough energy to sustain its growth, or if it's prioritizing fruit production over vegetative development, has long been a significant hurdle. With Plant Balance Metrics, Source.ag transforms this landscape. For the first time, growers can access weekly, actionable insights derived from combined plant and climate values, offering a simplified yet profound interpretation of their crop's condition. This allows for a more precise and proactive approach to cultivation management, leading to improved yields and healthier plants throughout the season. "For years, the greenhouse industry has sought a singular, clear answer to the fundamental question: 'How is my crop truly doing?'" says Cedric Canovas, VP of Data and Plant Science at Source.ag. "Our extensive research, dissecting plant science literature, conducting expert interviews, and rigorously testing our approach with real-world data, has culminated in our Plant Balance Metrics. It distills complex biological processes into two intuitive metrics, providing growers with the quantitative clarity they've always needed to optimize their steering strategies." Key Metrics of Plant Balance: Plant Balance Factor (PBF): This metric assesses the equilibrium between a plant's energy production (Source) and its growth demands (Sink). A PBF near zero indicates a balanced strategy, while a positive value suggests a conservative approach (excess energy), and a negative value points to an aggressive approach (energy deficit). This standardized metric allows for easy comparison across different cultivars. Generative Trend Indicator (GTI): The GTI reveals the plant's developmental focus, indicating whether it's prioritizing generative growth (fruits and flowers) or vegetative growth (leaves and stems). A positive GTI signifies a generative trend, while a negative value indicates a vegetative one. This empowers growers to fine-tune environmental factors like irrigation and climate to achieve the desired fruit load and plant architecture. "The ability to not only understand the current state but also to simulate future scenarios with our plant balance feature, as part of our Cultivation Management product, is a game-changer," adds Cedric. "With our plant balance simulation, growers can identify issues before they arise, adjust their strategy accordingly, and continuously evaluate the results. This systematic improvement loop ultimately leads to higher yields and reduced risks for growers worldwide". Source.ag developed its new Plant Balance Metrics in collaboration with growers to ensure the feature meets real-world needs. Gordon Yakel, Head Grower of Delta View Farms, praised the tool, saying, "I really enjoy following the trends in generative development and plant balance. As a grower, this is incredibly valuable. It helps me track crop stability over time." He added, "Early on, I disagreed with some of the insights, but now I find myself fully aligned with everything it's showing me," and noted, "My crops are finally where they should be. They look beautiful, and we've achieved a good balance." Plant Balance is now available for Source.ag's tomato growers, with plans for integration into pepper and cucumber cultivation in the near future. This innovation is poised to become a new North Star metric for the industry, driving efficiency and profitability in controlled environment agriculture. About Source.ag: Source.ag is a leading agricultural technology company dedicated to empowering growers with cutting-edge AI solutions. By leveraging vast datasets and advanced algorithms, Source.ag provides actionable insights and predictive capabilities that optimize crop production, enhance sustainability, and ensure food security for a growing global population.