The growing season is always one of the most exciting periods in agricultural and horticultural research. After months of preparation, planning and equipment setup, technologies are tested under real-world conditions and valuable insights begin to emerge.

For the Irristaud project, the 2025 growing season provided many opportunities to evaluate sensors, collect data and strengthen collaboration between researchers, technology providers as well as growers and technical staff.

Throughout the summer, project partners monitored crops using a range of sensor technologies. Soil moisture measurements, remote sensing systems and other monitoring approaches generated large datasets that help improve our understanding of crop responses to environmental conditions.

One of the key lessons from the season was the importance of testing technologies under diverse conditions. Weather patterns varied throughout the year, creating situations that challenged both crops and monitoring systems. Such variability is extremely valuable for research because it allows project partners to observe how sensors perform under different levels of stress and changing environmental conditions.

Field visits and discussions with growers also highlighted the practical realities of implementing digital technologies in horticultural production. While sensor systems can provide detailed information, successful adoption depends on how well these technologies fit into existing management practices.

The growing season also reminded us of the importance of collaboration. Many of the most valuable insights emerged not only from sensor measurements but also from conversations between researchers and practitioners, e.g. on field days. These exchanges help identify challenges, refine research questions and ensure that technological developments remain relevant to real-world needs.

As the collected data continue to be analyzed, the lessons learned during the 2025 season will contribute to the further development of decision-support tools within Irristaud. They will also help guide future research activities and strengthen the project’s contribution to sustainable horticultural production.