Add new department

In this step, we explain how to add a department. A department can be added to a location once a location is created, as described in the previous step: "Add New Location".

Below, we provide a step-by-step explanation of the components to go through and what needs to be filled in and selected.

• 1. Basic Information
• 2. Edit/Trim Area
• 3. Edit Row Characteristics
• 4. Horiver Cards
• 5. Scout Preferences
• 6. Threshold Values

Type of Department

Determine whether the department is indoor (Greenhouse) or an outdoor department.

For the Greenhouse layout, an accurate reconstruction of the greenhouse layout is drawn with rows and legs.
For Outdoor, the field where the outdoor location is located can be outlined using GPS coordinates. Scouting is also based on GPS location. This Outdoor option is still in beta, meaning that certain functionalities may not work fully. User feedback is desired. Send feedback to natutecscout@koppert.com.

1. Basic Information

Name of Department

Enter a name for the department. It must be unique within a location.

 Department Area in m²

Enter an accurate approximation of the department's area. This can be used on the analysis page to display pest pressure per square meter.

 Maximum Number of Rows

Enter the number of rows from the side of the concrete path where the most rows are located. It is not possible to add additional rows and/or legs later. In the next step, "Edit/Trim Area," a schematic representation of the greenhouse will be shown based on the number of rows and legs.

 Maximum Number of Legs/Poles per Side

Enter the number of legs for the row with the most legs. If some rows are shorter, the excess legs per row can be excluded in the next step.

2. Edit/Trim Area

 Area/Trim

This step shows a schematic representation of the greenhouse based on the maximum number of rows and legs entered in the previous step. In this step, it is possible to add features to the greenhouse that impact the schematic representation. This includes a path from the concrete path to the facade. Click the checkbox at the beginning of the path to select the entire row. If there are objects such as a boiler or electrical house, a few checkboxes can be ticked in those places to indicate the location of those objects. If the layout of the greenhouse significantly differs, such as when the concrete path is entirely on the right or left side, exclude the entire left or right side by checking all the checkboxes shown for the path. It is not possible to scout removed rows in this step.

3. Edit Row Characteristics

Here is a schematic representation of the greenhouse again. In this step, it is possible to adjust the numbering of the rows. This can be done in two ways. It is recommended to click on the "Setup Rows" button. This opens a field that shows how many rows there are for the left and right halves of the greenhouse. If rows were removed in the previous step, this display will show that the greenhouse is divided into sections, with each section showing how many rows it has. Try out the different possibilities in this setup and experiment with them to get the most accurate representation of the greenhouse.  

Pattern 

To set a pattern, the section must be selected first. Then, the numbering of the paths can be set based on an interval per row. Determine the counting direction by choosing "Down to Up" or "Up to Down." Then, enter the "Starting row number" with which row number the section should start and the interval per row. For example: if the section on the left has even numbers and the section on the right has odd numbers, enter 1 for the left in the "Starting row number" and 2 in the "Row interval." For the right, the starting number for the row is 2, and the interval per row is also 2.  

The second way is by manually adjusting the fields of the row numbering to the desired row numbering.  

4. Horiver Cards

Determine where the Horiver cards are placed by checking the checkbox of the location. Horiver locations are easier to find in the Scout application because they can be filtered. This ensures that scouting is easily done at the same locations. 

5. Scout Preferences

Select the pests, beneficials, and diseases to be scouted. The scout methods can also be added here. Start by selecting the type of crop. This loads a pre-set list of scout preferences. Optionally, the crop type can be added to specify it better, but this is not a required field. Additional pests, natural enemies, diseases, and pollination can be added with the fields under categories. Select the relevant scout method(s) for each insect. If an insect is not in the available list, send an email to natutecscout@koppert.com or use the feedback button. They will be added. 

The scout methods are as follows: 

Card Counts

These are the counts of the number of pests and diseases scouted on the Horiver cards. These counts differ from normal counts because they can be calculated over the weeks - if the card is not replaced - as an increase per week on the Analysis page. Learn more about card counts in 

Input Methods 

Unlike card counts, this scout method involves counts that are scouted outside the Horiver card. This can be in all possible places around the crop, such as on the plant, in the soil, and under the leaf. 

Intensity

Intensity categorizes (the impact of) pest pressure on a scale of 0-5. This way, an estimate is not made based on gut feeling. By working with intensity and consistently scouting this way, a good and reliable analysis of the (impact on) pest pressure can be made. 

Presence/Absence

Presence/absence is only about whether the pest, natural enemy, or disease is present. For example, if a fixed number of plants are scouted for the presence or absence, this can be well tracked with this scout method. If, when checking 10 plants, 3 spots of presence are noted, and 7 spots of absence are noted, the presence percentage is 30%.   

It can be chosen to scout only for Presence - this means that it will show on the map where the pest is, but the percentage will always be 100%.  

To remove an observation: remove all scout methods and press Save.  

Assigning Colors

The pests, natural enemies, and diseases have standard colors.  

You can assign your own color to an observation. This can be done by clicking on the color box on the left and selecting a desired color. These colors will also appear later in the scout app in the mobile version of the Natutec scout app and on the Analysis page. 

6. Threshold Values

Threshold values can be set per scout method set in the previous step. The threshold values are categorized based on scout method. It is not mandatory to enter threshold values, but only when the threshold values are entered is it possible to create heatmaps and generate alerts when the critical threshold value is reached. When the value of the pest equals the critical value or higher, a warning appears on the Home page. Throughout the year, it is possible to adjust the threshold values to the situation in the greenhouse to generate the most reliable heatmap and receive relevant possible warnings.