LetsGrow.com Crop Registration app manual

LetsGrow.com Crop Registration app manual

Introduction

This manual provides comprehensive guidelines for conducting crop registration in tomato plants using the LetsGrow.com Registration App. Crop registration is a crucial step in effectively monitoring and managing the growth of tomato crops. The new LetsGrow.com app offers a user-friendly interface that allows you to visually register your tomato crop data while observing the plant. It is important to perform crop registration weekly, preferably on the same day and around the same time (e.g., every Thursday morning). Consistency is essential to maximize the value of your crop data.

Getting Started

Required materials:

  1. Caliper
  2. Marker
  3. Measuring tape
  4. Scale
  5. Labels
  6. Red tape

Set Up Your Registration Field

  1. Each greenhouse compartment should have a registration field. We recommend selecting at least 10 representative registration plants from your crop—this will be your registration plot. This number may be adjusted depending on the size of the greenhouse.
  2. Tip: The registration plot should be located in the middle of the greenhouse and not:
    1. Close to the greenhouse walls
    2. In a row with a greenhouse post
    3. Near the concrete walkway
  1. Mark the boundaries of your registration plot using red tape or colored ropes.

Steps for a Damaged Plant in the Registration Plot

  1. If a registration plant needs to be replaced (e.g., due to damage), choose a similar plant close to the registration plot.
  2. Find a cluster in a similar developmental stage and use the same labeling as the old plant. From then on, only register the new plant.

Optional: How to Register a Side Shoot

  1. When side shoots are retained on the plant, this increases stem density. New side shoots should be registered as a new location once the first truss begins to flower (after about 2–3 weeks). At this point, stem density in the app should also be adjusted accordingly.
  2. You can label side shoots with a different color or abbreviation (e.g., Plant 3, Plant 3s)

How to Label a New Truss

  1. Use labels for flowering stages from week one and add new labels weekly for each new truss. Start with “plant 1 truss 1,” and so on. Indicate the plant number and truss number, counted from bottom to top of the plant (e.g., 1 (10), 1s (10)).
  3. When adding a side shoot, use clear labels such as 1.1 or 1-s, or use a different label color to distinguish from main stems. Count trusses on side shoots using the same system. The first truss on the side shoot becomes (1).

Setting Up the LetsGrow.com Crop Registration App

Step 1: Download and Install the App

  1. Go to your device’s app store (App Store for iOS, Google Play Store for Android, or Microsoft Store for PC).
  2. Search for “LetsGrow.com Crop Registration app” and download/install the app.

Step 2: Log In or Sign Up

  1. Open the app.
  2. If you already have a LetsGrow.com account, enter your credentials and click “Log In.”
  3. Otherwise, create an account at https://www.letsgrow.com/login/


Step 3: Choose Your Variety


Step 4: Create Your Registration Plants



 Step 5: Start Measuring

You're now ready to begin with crop registration in the app.

Registration

Plant Information

Measurements are taken weekly for each plant.


Click on the information icon next to each item to see how it should be measured.

Head Thickness (mm)

Measure 10 cm below the plant's tip. Due to the oval shape of the stem, place the caliper at the thinnest part.

Growth Length (cm)

Measure weekly plant growth in cm.
For the first measurement at the start of the cycle, measure the total plant length from bottom to top.
In following weeks, hold the top of the plant against the string and mark the highest point. The growth is the distance between last week’s and this week’s marks.

Flowering Height (cm)

Weekly measure the distance in cm between the top flowering truss (when the first flower has opened) and the last plant height mark.

Leaf Length and Width

Measure the first leaf under last week's mark.

  • Leaf length = from stem to tip

  • Leaf width = widest point from left to right

Number of Leaves

Two methods:

  1. Visual Method: Add new leaves manually, remove old ones weekly.

  2. Counting Method: Count all leaves from the first one below last week’s mark down to the lowest leaf.

[Optional] Internodal Length

An internode is the segment between two leaf nodes. There are usually three leaf nodes between two trusses.

Measure the distance from the highest truss to the second highest, then divide by the number of leaf nodes in between.



Truss Information

Measurements are taken weekly for each plant.

Add a Truss or Leaf

  1. Click the plus icon next to the plant to add.
  2. Trusses and leaves are counted automatically when added.

Add a Side Shoot

  1. First add a leaf, then the plus icon allows side shoot addition.
  1. A green arrow indicates a new side shoot (i.e., new location/plant) has been added.

Truss Data Display

Truss information shows current week (right column) and previous week (left column).

Icons and Meanings:

  • Closed flower – Petals still closed
     

  • Open flower – Petals wide open, stamens visible
     

  • Set flower – Petals wilted, crown bulging
     

  • Breaker stage – Fruit starting to change from green to orange
     

  • Harvested – Fruits or trusses harvested

    • The week after harvest, the truss is greyed out and cannot be edited.

Abortion – Open

 Flowers fully opened but did not set fruit and eventually fall off.

Abortion – Set

 Flower began fruit formation but failed to fully develop or became deformed.

Handling Error

Physical damage due to crop handling (e.g., broken trusses or dropped fruits). Count and log all damaged parts.

Optional: Measuring the Growth of a Side Shoot

Add a new side shoot after adding a new leaf or by creating a new plant (new location). Name the side shoot using the same plant name, followed by a number (e.g., Plant 1.1).
When a green arrow appears, it indicates that the side shoot has been created.

Length and Growth

1. Marking Point: Hold the top of the plant against the string of the side shoot and mark the highest point. Do this weekly.
2. Length Growth: Measure the length of the side shoot weekly. Record the distance between last week's marking point and this week's. Begin this weekly measurement when the top of the lateral shoot is approximately at the same height as the main stem.

Number of Leaves

Count all the leaves from the first leaf below last week’s marking point up to the lowest leaf at the growth tip of the lateral shoot.

Measurement After Topping

After topping the plant:
  • Stop measuring the head thickness.
  • Continue measuring leaf length and leaf width for one more week.
  • Continue measuring the number of flowering and developing trusses for two more weeks.
  • All other measurements continue as usual.

Multimedia

To add multimedia to your plant registration, you can do so by editing a plant and selecting the camera icon. Then you can choose between:
  • Taking a new photo
  • Selecting a previously taken photo
  • Recording a new video
  • Selecting a previously recorded video

General Information

Measurements that are recorded once or weekly per measurement field include:
  • Fruit weight – g
  • Harvest – kg
  • Leaf area index – %
  • Stem density – #/m²
  • Pruning policy – fruits/truss
  • Area – m²
  • Brix value – °

Fruit Weight / Truss Weight – g

Values are entered weekly. Ensure the scale is calibrated before measuring.
Tip: Use a representative sample of your harvest for measurements – at least 10–20 fruits.
Measure the average weight in grams by dividing the total weight by the number of trusses or fruits.

Harvest – kg

Register the total weight of the tomatoes harvested from the entire greenhouse.

Leaf Area Index – %

The leaf area index is a calibration factor used to estimate the total leaf surface of the crop based on sample leaves. This factor is determined by statistically calculating a correlation factor from measured leaf areas.

Measurement:
Consult your breeder or propagator for guidance in obtaining or calculating the leaf area index. Various tools can be used for accurate measurement, such as:
http://www.leafscanapp.com/ – usable with your smartphone.

Examples of leaf area indices – %:

  • Tomato 'Merlice': 29%
  • Tomato 'Dunk': 24%
  • Tomato 'Pom Sweet Candy': 22%
  • Tomato 'Caramelino': 26%
  • Tomato 'Daltari': 25%

Stem Density – #/m²

Stem density is the number of growth points that must be maintained from the start of cultivation, in stems per m².
Adjust the stem density when:
  • Side shoots are added once the first flower appears on the lateral shoot.
  • The number of heads per m² is reduced.

Area – m²

A specific area within the greenhouse used to calculate production (kg/m²). This value must be entered once at the beginning of the cultivation.
There are two options:
  1. Harvest – kg refers to the total weight of tomatoes harvested from the registration field. In this case, enter the area (m²) of the registration field.
  2. Harvest – kg refers to the total weight of tomatoes harvested from the entire greenhouse. In this case, enter the area (m²) of the entire greenhouse.

Submit Data

Before submitting your crop registration, you can review the plant information overview to correct any errors. Once everything is checked, you can submit the data.


Settings

Modify Multiple Items

If you want to enable or disable certain items to be recorded weekly or per plant, you can do this via:
Settings → Modify multiple items
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Start a New Crop Cycle

Through the settings, it is also possible to start a new crop cycle. This is necessary when beginning to use the app and when starting a new growing cycle.
Before starting a new cycle, set the start date. This will archive and remove the old plants, allowing you to add new young plants.


Windows Devices Only
If you have added a new start date and want to remove it, you can do so by selecting the start date and clicking delete.

Boundaries

To ensure the accuracy of your crop registration input, you can set boundary values via the settings at the start of your crop registration. This helps prevent data entry errors by flagging values that fall outside the acceptable range.
Example: If you set a boundary of 50%, any value deviating more than 50% from the previous week's value will trigger an error message.

Language

Via settings, you can also choose your preferred language for the app.

Theme

In the theme settings, you can choose between dark and light mode. Dark mode is set by default.

Refresh Varieties and Items

Only refresh when there are changes to your varieties/items to ensure proper synchronization.


Tablet Specifications for Optimal App Performance

The Android version of a tablet mainly determines whether the app can be installed and whether the operating system is up to date.
Our app supports Android 11 and higher.

Note: If the app is slow or crashes frequently, this is usually due to the tablet’s hardware (such as memory or processing power), not the Android version.

Recommended specifications for optimal performance:

  • Recommended:

    • At least 8 GB RAM

    • At least 128 GB storage

  • Minimum requirements for reasonable performance:

    • Between 4 GB and 6 GB RAM

    • At least 64 GB storage

For the best user experience, we recommend using a tablet that meets the recommended specifications.