RadSum
Substrate Irrigation for Soft Fruits
Take the guesswork out of substrate irrigation. RadSum keeps your slabs in the sweet spot all day, so your berries stay uniform, firm, and high yielding.
Designed specifically for soft fruits grown in substrate, RadSum combines in-row sensors, fertigation control, and pulse drip scheduling to maintain the right balance of water, nutrients, and oxygen around the roots. Built on the same proven control platform as our field irrigation systems, but tuned for drain, EC and substrate management.
Why RadSum for substrate-grown berries?
Whether you're already on substrate or planning to move from soil, RadSum helps you run irrigation the way expert growers do, without needing to be a full-time irrigation specialist.
Dialled-in drain & EC
RadSum watches drip, drain, and EC in real time. It adjusts the pulse pattern through the day to hit your target drain and keep EC in the right range for strong, even growth.
Consistent fruit size and quality
Stable moisture and nutrition around the rootzone means less stress, fewer weak plants, and more uniform berries across the block, not just in the "good" rows.
Weather-aware irrigation
When solar radiation and temperatures climb, RadSum automatically increases or reshapes pulses to match crop demand, protecting plants from heat stress without drowning the roots.
Less guesswork, more control
Instead of relying on timers and gut feel, you get clear targets and live feedback from each zone. You still set the strategy, RadSum takes care of the day-to-day adjustments.
How pulse drip works (and why it suits substrate)
In substrate, roots have a limited volume to explore. Too wet and you lose oxygen; too dry and plants stress very quickly. Pulse drip breaks irrigation into many short applications across the day instead of one or two long runs. This helps to:
Follow crop demand
Early in the day, smaller pulses start filling the slab. As light and temperatures increase, pulses can tighten to match plant uptake.
Protect root health
Regular, moderate pulses keep enough air in the root zone, reducing issues linked to poor aeration and over-watering.
Control drain and EC
By steering when and how much you irrigate, you can achieve consistent daily drain and avoid EC drifting too high or too low.
Backed by research & practice: Pulse drip irrigation has been shown to improve yield, berry size, and fruit firmness in soft fruits when combined with good drain and EC management. RadSum automates the hard part, adjusting pulses as conditions change.
Built around how you actually grow
Daytime production
Set your target drain and EC band. Within your allowed time windows, RadSum shapes pulses to reach those targets while keeping the substrate in the safe zone.
Heatwave protection
When radiation or canopy temperature show plants are under stress, RadSum can temporarily boost pulses to avoid wilting and loss of fruit quality, then ease back when conditions improve.
Start-up, post-harvest & dormancy
Easily run gentler programs for young plants, reduce irrigation after harvest, or maintain minimum moisture in dormancy without rewriting everything from scratch.
What RadSum measures and controls
RadSum combines hardware in the field with cloud analytics. The sensors and control hardware are installed directly in your substrate setup, giving you a clear picture of what's happening, and the ability to act on it.
Field sensing & crop insight
DripDrain sensor
Measures the volume of drip and drain water, plus EC and pH for both. This is the core of how RadSum steers daily drain and nutrition.
Pyranometer
Measures solar radiation to track how much light the crop actually receives. RadSum uses this to anticipate water demand as light levels rise and fall.
EC & soil moisture sensor
Measures electrical conductivity (EC), soil moisture and temperature in the substrate, giving a direct view of what roots are experiencing.
IR temperature sensor
Measures leaf temperature to indicate crop stress and photosynthesis activity. When canopy temperature rises, RadSum can respond.
Gas sensor
Measures CO₂ and oxygen levels, helping you understand how well the crop is breathing and photosynthesizing in the structure.
Local weather station
Tracks on-farm wind, temperature and precipitation to inform irrigation decisions. Shows the actual climate your crop is experiencing, not just the nearest forecast.
Node with solar power
Powers local sensors and sends data securely to the cloud. Typically based on solar power and cellular connectivity, enabling true remote operation.
Irrigation & fertigation control
Irrigation controller
Runs irrigation events, coordinates pumps and valves, and communicates with the cloud platform to apply your strategies zone by zone. Includes a touch screen to schedule and monitor irrigation events.
Solenoid valves
Open and close water to each zone, enabling independent pulse patterns and run times across the field from a single platform.
Dripline pressure sensor
Confirms the dripline is properly pressurised and flags issues like line breaks, blocked filters or solenoid faults early, so you don't lose a day of irrigation.
Cloud analytics & grower app
All data flows into our cloud platform where you can see clear graphs of drip, drain, EC, moisture and plant response across zones. Adjust strategies, create new programs, and monitor performance from your office, tablet or phone.
Ready to trial RadSum on a block of berries?
We typically start with a pilot on a representative block, then scale once you're happy with the results. Talk to us about your current setup and goals for the coming seasons.
Contact us to explore a pilot deployment