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Sustainable Water Use in Protected Mediterranean Horticulture
- As irrigation is bound to rely increasingly on low quality water, the
project seeks to adapt protected horticultural practice to this new
condition. The idea is to exploit the advanced technologies involved in
protected cultivation to improve salt tolerance of high valued crops and to
diminish environmental risks associated with the use of marginal water.
- The project will compile information on crop salinity tolerance and
analyse the data in the context valid in Mediterranean protected
cultivation.
- The experimental research consists of crop response measurements to
fertilisation and salinity supplemented by studies of specific effects
obtained under protected cultivation.
| Project number | ICA3-CT-1999-00009 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject(s) | WATER DEMAND | ||
| Acronym | HORTIMED | ||
| Geographical coverage | Spain, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Palestine | ||
| Budget (in €) | 950000 | ||
| Programme | INCO MED (FP5) | ||
| Web site | http://dimitra.aua.gr/ns/ | ||
| Objectives | - The objective of this project is to develop a context sensitive strategy
for managing irrigation and nutrient supply of protected crops with
constraints on the quantity and quality of water supply. The economical
(quality and quantity of crop yield) and the ecological (contamination risks
of water table, nature conservation) factors affecting the strategic
decisions will also be considered. - Moreover the research of this project will advance our knowledge about plant response to salinity and water stress. - These new findings will be combined with new management techniques into developing a Decision Support System for farmers. - The general objective is to adapt protected horticulture to low water quality by exploiting the high degree of control over the water and nutrient input, over climate and over drainage release. This objective is prompted by urban priority for fresh water and the rising discharge of domestic effluents for which agriculture can provide safe means of disposal. -The project seeks fertigation recipes, climate control operations, crop and crop mixture rotations that improve yield and quality under constrains of marginal water use. - It considers procedures that minimise the release of pollutants by including the investigation of drainage recycling. Finally it engages specifically in formulating recommendations for growers. The specific objectives: • To determine environmental impact for selected protected-horticulture crops, for different root media and salt content of available water. • To develop irrigation/fertigation recipes for main vegetables under protected conditions based on soil fertility, growth stage and yield-quality targets. • To compile/determine yield response to salinity of the major crops. • To determine a strategy for climate management with high salinity of irrigation (CO2 injection, shading, humidification), in order to mitigate salinity damage and exploit the potential for better quality with salty root environment. • To determine a strategy to minimise salt accumulation rate in a closed-loop irrigation system, in dependence of water and nutrients uptake and of root medium characteristics. • To determine cost-benefit of possible farm level investments (rain harvesting, drain water recycling, use of wastewater, reverse-osmosis, disposal of residuals), depending on available water resources and type of crops. • To determine a strategy for management of water sources of varying quality, under given constraint of input of fresh water and/or of release of residuals. • To determine feasibility of cascade combinations of crops of increasing salt-tolerance. • A Decision support system that aims to maximise return under given constraints in water, water quality and release of chemicals. • To develop a farmers guide and "rules of thumb" translated to all participating languages. • Dissemination and short courses for extension specialists. |
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| Period | [01/03/2000 - 30/09/2003] | ||
Page last updated:
02/09/2008
