With BBLeap, I am the director of my own cultivation

With BBLeap, I am the director of my own cultivation.

Mark Verstegen runs a 45-hectare fruit farm in Opijnen, Netherlands, together with his family. For Mark, innovation isn’t just about using fewer products; it’s primarily about optimizing their effectiveness. “It’s about deploying your product where it yields a return,” he explains. By no longer blindly spraying gaps in the row, he preserves the capacity to give the trees themselves the full protection they require. This focus on precision contributes directly to the ‘Clean Food, Clean World’ mission, without compromising the resilience of his crop.

“BBLeap gives me the tools to truly take charge; I determine the strategy, and the machine executes it,” – Mark Verstegen

The Limitations of Traditional Technology

Before Mark switched to the BBLeap system, spraying was often a matter of ‘averages.’ “In the past, you sprayed just as much at the top of the tree as at the bottom, even though there is much more mass at the bottom,” Mark notes. Open spaces in the row also posed a challenge; the sprayer simply stayed on, leading to unnecessary product use and drift. The technology simply wasn’t advanced enough to respond to the variation within the orchard.

“In the past, you sprayed just as much at the top as the bottom of the tree, even though there is much more mass at the bottom. Now, I give the bottom exactly what it needs.” — Mark Verstegen

The Need for 100% Control

Mark was looking for a way to become the director of his own cultivation. The goal was clear: every tree must receive the perfect spray pattern, the exact volume and the right droplet size, regardless of the driving speed or location in the orchard. This is the only way to effectively combat diseases such as scab without wasting a single drop. Mark no longer wanted to compromise due to limited technology; he was looking for a system that always works 100% correctly.

The Foundation for Success: Excellent Spraying

With the LeapBox on his HSS sprayer, Mark has taken full control of the spray pattern back into his own hands. “The unique thing about BBLeap is that I can determine what I spray per individual nozzle; that isn’t possible with any other brand,” Mark explains.

In practice, this means Mark works with vertical tree profiles. He tailors the application to the leaf density: the dense bottom of the tree (the ‘skirt’), where pest pressure from insects like pear leaf blister mite is highest, receives a higher dosage (120%), while the thinner top is spared with a lower application (50%).

Because the LeapBox is electronically controlled via PWM technology, the droplet spectrum and pressure remain constant, regardless of driving speed or variation in output. This allows Mark to adjust his volume instantly from 250 to 400 liters per hectare without ever leaving the cabin to change nozzles.

Furthermore, the system monitors itself continuously; via flow meters, Mark can see immediately on his screen if a nozzle is clogged. The system completely handles the technical complexity, meaning Mark is no longer occupied with machine settings, but with the health of his trees.

The Step Toward Real-time Spraying

Following the foundation came the next step: Real-time Spraying. With the LeapEye camera system, the machine scans the orchard and translates this data directly into action. The camera determines exactly where application is needed. “If the camera sees nothing, it doesn’t spray,” Mark explains. Gaps in the row are flawlessly skipped, which can result in savings of up to 50% in young plantings.

The result? Minimal drift and optimal product management: the machine reacts to the reality of the plot.

“In the past, you just kept spraying, whether there was a gap or not. Now you really do save money.” – Mark Verstegen

Saving at the Top to Win at the Bottom: The Synergy Between Camera and Tree Profile

For Mark, the real gain lies not just in skipping gaps, but in the combination of live tree detection and a customized tree profile. The system ‘sees’ the tree and immediately applies the pre-set vertical strategy.

“Since we started spraying with cameras, you realize how much product we used to waste on gaps in the row. Now we only spray where there is foliage, but it goes even further: the combination of intelligence and vertical precision. I have set my tree profile so that I spray at 70% in the thinner top. The extra capacity I save there, I use for a 120% application in the lower branches where pest pressure is often higher. You see that precision reflected immediately in your consumption and your results.”

Through this combination of tree detection and a customized tree profile, every layer of the tree receives exactly the attention it needs. This smart distribution ensures that Mark maximizes the effectiveness of his spraying. Where he used to spray an average across the whole tree, he now deploys the product where the biological return is greatest. The result is optimal coverage in critical areas, funded by savings in the tops and the gaps of the orchard.

Results in the Field and the Cabin

The system provides Mark with not only significant savings but also peace of mind and certainty during work. “You simply enter your liters per hectare and the droplet size you want, and the system handles the rest. It just works,” Mark says with conviction. Where he previously had to manually change nozzles or compromise on driving speed, he now trusts the technology to do the thinking for him.

That reliability translates directly to results in the orchard. Mark sees his plots becoming more uniform because every tree gets exactly what it needs to stay healthy. “Within two years, you see results in the uniformity of your plot. It pays for itself through a better harvest and less waste.” For Mark, the proof is simple: the machine does what it promises, allowing him to focus entirely on the quality of his fruit.

“I dare to bet that if you only start driving on GPS, you will see results within two years in the form of a much more consistent yield.” — Mark Verstegen

Future Vision: Plant Precision

Mark is already looking forward to the latest expansion: real-time blossom detection. With BBLeap’s algorithms, the cameras are transformed into a digital pair of pruning shears. Where time-consuming manual thinning was previously required, Mark will soon be able to make adjustments at the nozzle level for perfect fruit distribution. “Soon I can measure my growth with the cameras and intervene immediately,” Mark says. The savings in man-hours through precision thinning often yield even more than the savings on products alone. For Mark, this is the essence of modern craftsmanship: using technology to deliver top-quality fruit year after year, while keeping the orchard in perfect balance.

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