“ALPHA tracks the efficiency of the plant against the average, so we can essentially tell whether the plant is doing better or worse than the average,” says Olivia Wise, Research Partnerships Lead at Gardin.
The ALPHA Index is Gardin’s new analytics feature that isolates the effect of climate and irrigation on plant performance from the influence of light, giving growers a clearer picture of what is actually driving crop efficiency at any given moment. The feature launched two days before GreenTech Amsterdam and is available automatically across all subscription tiers.
© Wesley Francis | FloralDaily.com
Gardin’s Conrad Langton, David Osterloh, Olivia Wise, Tim Noordijke, Francisco Ribeiro and Steven Grundy at GreenTech Amsterdam 2026
How it works
ALPHA builds on Gardin’s existing EFFICIENCY metric by removing the influence of changing light conditions, leaving only the variation caused by climate and irrigation decisions. It calculates a rolling five-day baseline of plant performance under current lighting conditions, then measures actual performance against that baseline at five-minute intervals. The result draws on the concept of excess return: positive ALPHA indicates climate and irrigation are driving performance above the baseline, while negative ALPHA flags conditions that are holding the crop back.
Specific use cases include evaluating the effectiveness of misting strategies, measuring morning greenhouse heating rates, assessing the impact of CO2 supplementation, comparing climate performance across different compartments, and refining irrigation timing.
© Gardin
A positive ALPHA indicates that your climate is exceeding baseline plant performance, while a negative ALPHA flags periods where climate conditions may be worse than normal. The index fluctuates throughout the day and can be monitored in real time to improve the climate strategy.
Tested with clients ahead of release
“We trialled it with some clients before we released it,” Olivia says, adding that their names could not be shared but that the early feedback is strong. No new hardware is required to access the ALPHA Index. “It’s an add-on feature to the data we already provide in the dashboard, so all the tiers get it automatically.”
In one case, the feature helped a grower pinpoint specific conditions worth adjusting. “I think one of the difficulties was being able to identify what, other than light, is maybe driving the plant performance, whether that’s a negative or a positive performance. By creating ALPHA, we were able to help them pinpoint which other parameters in the environment, like the humidity or the temperature, could be optimised further.”
Built for any controlled environment, including vertical farms
Olivia says the underlying technology was not designed exclusively for any one growing system. “By measuring the process of this, we can monitor the performance of any crop, regardless of whether it’s in a vertical farm, a greenhouse or a polytunnel. I think the application is universal,” she says.
“In vertical farms, there’s a lot more environmental control, especially with the use of LEDs. We can help with optimisation of their lighting strategy, their climate strategy, and help them detect areas and zones that might be underperforming or stressed.”
For more information:
Gardin
Damiana Price, Head of Marketing
[email protected]
www.gardin.ag
