Precision Irrigation for Olive Crops | Farmers’ Innovations

In this farm crops such as olive and pistachio are combined (with drip irrigation), and extensive crops such as hard wheat, soft wheat, rapes or beans (with circular and linear pivot systems). All this under two agricultural handles: direct sowing and traditional management, thus allowing agronomic comparisons to each campaign.

During the day, different types of sensors and tools were presented for efficient irrigation management, such as environmental sensors to monitor climatic conditions, irrigation counters connected to DataSloggers Autonomous with solar panels and communications via GSM or Lora networks.

Specific sensors were also presented on the water state of plants, disease detection and control of water stress, trunk sensors and leaf turgidity for woody crops, tensioning, matrix potential sensors and multilevel probes that allow to know the moisture and soil temperature at different depths.

Likewise, water quality sensors were known to monitor parameters related to salinity, fertilization and other dissolved elements and turbines in irrigation facilities to take advantage of water pressure and generate electricity. All of them technologies that allow “to continue advancing in intelligent and sustainable agriculture, optimizing water resources and improving decision -making,” UPA said.

Smart Green Waterinternational cooperation to modernize irrigation

The day in Córdoba is part of the Interreg Sudoe Cooperation Project “Smart Green Water”an initiative in which entities of France, Spain and Portugal participate. UPA is one of the Spanish partners of this cooperation project, together with the University of Córdoba; the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of Badajoz; The IRTA and the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food of the Generalitat of Catalonia.

“Smart Green Water” It is an initiative led by the Franco-Spanish entity Euroregion Pyrineans Mediterranean, whose main objective is to develop a transnational strategy that promotes the development, implementation and possibilities of integrated solutions for irrigation farms in order to meet the needs of an “sustainable, intelligent and digital” agriculture.

This demonstrative day in the field is the first of a series that will be held in the coming weeks to disseminate the results of the strategy formed in the project. To do this, they will have the collaboration of Bayer Cropscience, which will support UPA to achieve the objectives of this project, offering their experience in digital solutions that seek efficiency in the use of irrigation water.