Research on irrigation optimization and nutrition of soft fruit crops.
In recent years, the sustainability of the horticultural sector in the region has been questioned due to the environmental impact that this activity could have. This view has been aggravated by the eutrophication of aquifers, partly due to the increase in nitrates and phosphates from agricultural leachates. This, together with other structural problems in the fruit and vegetable sector, is having a negative impact on one of the pillars of the Murcian economy. It is therefore necessary to provide measures and solutions to revitalize the regional agricultural sector. In this line, this project provides innovative solutions and alternatives for the future that will help to strengthen the agricultural sector in Murcia.
This project is based on the parallel development of four fundamental aspects of protected crop production systems:
Development of an integrated system (hardware) for the management of irrigation, nutrition and climate in greenhouses with soil-less crops in a closed system.
Development of a multi-layer control architecture for greenhouse crop management based on the latest Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) and Cloud Computing software platform. This will allow us to offshore system intelligence and production customization, principles inherited from the Industry 4.0 philosophy.
Development of an information analysis system (Bigdata), system modeling and decision support to optimize farm profitability, mainly in greenhouses.
Establishment of optimal agronomic conditions for sustainable production of the so-called “superfoods”, which include berries.
