2023-12-13 01:35:01
The University of Almeria (UAL) participates, together with institutions from six other countries, in a project to evaluate innovative agricultural management strategies capable of reducing environmental pollution by nitrates and pesticides and the salinization of water and soil. Currently, agricultural production uses large quantities of products that are applied to the crop to ensure a high yield, the UAL has reported. Inadequate management poses high risks of water and soil pollution in Mediterranean countries, where agri-food activities represent one of the most important economic sectors.
The project focuses on two of the most widespread crops in the Mediterranean countries, such as the tomato, among horticultural crops, grown both in the open field and in the greenhouse, and the olive tree, among fruit tree crops. Several field trials and pot and greenhouse experiments have been planned in the different participating countries. Seven countries participate in the project: Spain (University of Almeria), Italy (University of Perugia, which acts as coordinator), Germany (Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Reserach), Cyprus (The Cyprus Institute), Croatia (Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation), Israel (Agricultural Research Organization–Volcani Institute) and Turkey (Akdeniz University).
The UAL’s research activities will focus on greenhouse tomato crops, and the fertilization support system called VegSyst-DSS and different crop monitoring techniques will be evaluated. Among them are the proximal optical sensors and the use of sap analysis, as tools to manage and optimally adjust nitrogen fertilization of crops and reduce the “leaching” of nitrates, drag out of the root zone that results to the pollution of aquifers.
The VegSyst-DSS is a decision support tool in the management of irrigation and nitrogen fertilization in horticultural crops. It has been developed to calculate the daily needs of nitrogen fertilizer and the nitrogen concentration of the nutrient solution applied through fertigation and drip irrigation.
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