The University of Almería (UAL), together with institutions from six other countries, is participating in a project to evaluate innovative agricultural management strategies capable of reducing environmental pollution caused by nitrates, pesticides, and salinization of water and soil. Currently, agricultural production uses large quantities of products that are applied to the crop to ensure high yields, UAL reported. Inadequate management poses a high risk of water and soil pollution in Mediterranean countries, where agro-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 in open fields and in greenhouses, and the olive tree, among fruit tree crops.. Several field trials, pot and greenhouse trials are planned in various participating countries. Seven countries are participating in the project: Spain (University of Almería), Italy (University of Perugia, which acts as coordinator), Germany (Leibniz Center for Agricultural Landscape Research), Cyprus (Cyprus Institute), Croatia (Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation), Israel (Agricultural Research Organization – Volcanic Institute), and Turkey (Akdeniz University).
UAL’s research activities will focus on greenhouse tomato crops, and a fertilization support system called VegSyst-DSS and various crop monitoring technologies will be evaluated. Among them Proximity optical sensors and the use of sap analysis, as tools to optimally manage nitrogen fertilizers for crops and reduce nitrate “leaching” out of the root zone, contaminating aquifers.
VegSyst-DSS is a decision support tool in irrigation management and nitrogen fertilization in horticultural crops. It has been developed to calculate the daily requirement of nitrogen fertilizer and the concentration of nitrogen in the nutrient solution applied through fertilization and drip irrigation.
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