Automated placement of plant varieties for optimum performance within a grow space subject to environmental condition variability
Systems, methods and computer-readable media are provided for determining optimum placement, within a grow space, of plants of different varieties. Sets of reference environmental setpoints each correspond to a desired predicted performance of a respective plant variety. Environmental condition metrics at different positions within the grow space are determined. An allocation of the plants is determined among different volumetric regions within the grow space based on predicted performance of the plant varieties as a function of position within the grow space.
1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions for allocating placement, within a grow space, of plants of one or more varieties of a plurality of plant varieties including a first variety and a second variety different from the first variety, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause at least one of the one or more computing devices to:
a. based on an allocation of the plants of the one or more plant varieties among different volumetric regions within the grow space, wherein the different regions include a first region and a second region different from the first region:
i. cause movement of a first receptacle support of a plurality of receptacle supports to the first region; and
ii. cause movement of a second receptacle support of the plurality of receptacle supports to the second region,
b. wherein the first and second receptacle supports respectively correspond to first plants of the first variety and second plants of the second variety that are respectively allocated to the first region and the second region, and
c. wherein the allocation is based on predicted performance of the one or more plant varieties as a function of one or more environmental conditions at different positions within the grow space.
2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein each of the different regions encompasses one or more receptacle supports of the plurality of receptacle supports, and each receptacle support is operable to support a plurality of the plants.
3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein each region of the different volumetric regions corresponds to a set of environmental conditions.
4. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the first receptacle support is also operable to support plants of another plant variety.
5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause movement to the first region of a third receptacle support of the plurality of receptacle supports, which is operable to support first plants of the first plant variety allocated to the first region.
6. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein, in response to a change in environmental conditions, the allocation of the plants of the one or more plant varieties among the different regions based on predicted performance of the one or more plant varieties within the grow space is changed.
7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 6 , storing further instructions that, when executed, cause movement from the first region to a third region of the first receptacle support supporting the first plants of the first plant variety that were allocated to the first region during a first allocation and then reallocated to the third region based upon the changed allocation.
8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of receptacle supports comprises a plurality of grow towers.
9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the allocation is based at least in part upon the Hungarian assignment algorithm.
10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the one or more environmental conditions correspond to at least one of temperature, relative humidity, or air flow.
11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the predicted performance relates to at least one of growth rate, harvest weight yield, or energy cost.
12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the environmental conditions are based at least in part upon sensor data.
13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein each of the one or more sets of reference environmental setpoints is determined by an optimization algorithm.
14. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 13 , wherein the optimization algorithm uses machine learning.
15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the grow space has a controlled agricultural environment.
16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein the allocation is based at least in part upon maximization of overall predicted performance of the plants.
17. A method for determining placement, within a grow space, of plants of one or more varieties of a plurality of plant varieties including a first variety and a second variety different from the first variety, the method comprising:
a. accessing, by a processor, environmental condition metrics at different positions within the grow space; and
b. determining, by a processor, an allocation of the plants of the one or more plant varieties among different volumetric regions within the grow space based on predicted performance of the one or more plant varieties as a function of the environmental condition metrics at different positions within the grow space, wherein the different regions include a first region and a second region different from the first region, wherein based on the allocation:
i. a first receptacle support of a plurality of receptacle supports is moved to the first region, wherein the first receptacle support supports first plants of the first variety that are allocated to the first region, and
ii. a second receptacle support of the plurality of receptacle supports is moved to the second region, wherein the second receptacle support supports second plants of the second variety that are allocated to the second region.
18. A system for determining allocation, within a grow space, of plants of one or more varieties of a plurality of plant varieties including a first variety and a second variety different from the first variety, the system comprising:
one or more memories storing instructions;
one or more processors, operatively coupled to the one or more memories, that execute the instructions to cause the system to:
a. access environmental condition metrics at different positions within the grow space; and
b. determine an allocation of the plants of the one or more plant varieties among different volumetric regions within the grow space based on predicted performance of the one or more plant varieties as a function of the environmental condition metrics at different positions within the grow space, wherein the different regions include a first region and a second region different from the first region, wherein based on the allocation:
i. a first receptacle support of a plurality of receptacle supports is moved to the first region, wherein the first receptacle support corresponds to first plants of the first variety that are allocated to the first region, and
ii. a second receptacle support of the plurality of receptacle supports is moved to the second region, wherein the second receptacle support corresponds to second plants of the second variety that are allocated to the second region, wherein each of the different regions encompasses one or more receptacle supports of the plurality of receptacle supports, and each receptacle support is operable to support a plurality of the plants.
19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 1 , wherein: each set of one or more sets of one or more reference environmental setpoints corresponds to a desired predicted performance of a respective plant variety of the plurality of varieties, and
the allocation is further based on a relationship between the one or more environmental conditions at different positions and the one or more sets of one or more reference environmental setpoints.
20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising accessing, by a processor, one or more sets of one or more reference environmental setpoints, wherein each of the one or more sets corresponds to a desired predicted performance of a respective plant variety of the plurality of varieties, and the allocation is further based on the one or more sets of one or more reference environmental setpoints.
21. The system of claim 18 , wherein the one or more memories comprise instructions to cause the system to access one or more sets of one or more reference environmental setpoints, wherein each of the one or more sets corresponds to a desired predicted performance of a respective plant variety of the plurality of varieties, and the allocation is further based on the one or more sets of one or more reference environmental setpoints.