IRRIGATION WATER MANAGEMENT IN SEMIARID GREENHOUSE AREAS - POTENTIAL OF ceiA3 FOR THE EIP-Agri AND R&D: Friday, 26/03/2021, 15.00

POTENTIAL OF ceiA3 FOR THE EIP-Agri AND R&D:
 IRRIGATION WATER MANAGEMENT
 IN SEMIARID GREENHOUSE AREAS
 Friday, 26/03/2021, 15.00 h

 Lucía Reguillo – Project officer of ceiA3
 Juan Reca – Researcher of the University of Almería

ceia3 potential for the EIP-Agri and R&D

 Potential in the Creation of Innovation
 Ecosystems

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INVA-REGA: Evaluation of treatments for
invaders species control into watering pipes
 Project co-funded by European Agricultural Fund
 for Rural Development under the framework of
 operational groups of the European Innovative
 Partnership (EIP-Agri)

 A strategic project against invaders species into
 watering pipes (Asiatic Clam, Zebra mussel and
 Bryozoa)

 www.ceia3.es
 oficinaproyectos@ceia3.es

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The University of Almería

 ESPAÑA

 ALMERÍA

 Juan Reca Cardeña
 Professor of Hydraulic Engineering
Director of CIAIMBITAL Research Center.
 University of Almería (Spain).
 jreca@ual.es 4

CIAIMBITAL Research Center

 CIAIMBITAL Research Center for Intensive Mediterranean Agrosystems and Food Biotechnology) is the main
 Research Center of the UAL.
  More than 300 researchers, both seniors and juniors. CIAIMBITAL research is focused on agrifood
  Approx. 75% of the research funding of UAL.
 covering the whole value chain (aligned with the
 “farm to fork” strategy)
 RESEARCH AREAS:
 Sustainable agricultural production.
 Plant genetic improvement and platform
 technologies.
 Agroindustrial bioprocesses, microalgae
 engineering and biomass recovery.
 Food safety and agro-environmental chemistry.
 Food quality, nutrition and health.
 Horticultural marketing and agri-food economy.
 Agri-food legislation.
 Research Excellence: 9 out of 13 Top
 Researchers of the UAL are in CIAIMBITAL
 (Source: Stanford University ‘Ranking of the World
 Scientists: World´s Top 2% Scientists)
 5

UAL ANECOOP Experimental Farm

 The experimental UAL – ANECOOP farm
 was built in 2004 and it is sponsored by
 UAL and the 2ª degree cooperative
 ANECOOP
 The Farm has a total area of 11 ha. It
 has 5 ha of greenhouses for
 experimentation and research.
 It is also equipped with 2 water basins,
 3 warehouses, laboratories,
 refrigerators, cultivation chambers,
 workshop and offices.

 https://www.fundacionualanecoop.com/?lang=en

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CAMPO DE DALÍAS

2004
1956
2007

 7

Expansion and economic impact of
greenhouses
 Gross Domestic Product (GDP, %) Ratio Almería vs Spain

 The expansion of the greenhouse area started in early 70s

 Evolution of the greenhouse area in Almería
Area (ha)

 Vegetable production income (Thousands of Tons)

 Year

 8

Main Water Issues: Water Scarcity
 Water demands: more than 30000 ha with an average consumption of 5000 m3/ha
 Limited conventional water resources:
 Semiarid climate.
 Precipitation < 300 mm
 Both temporal and spatial irregular rainfall distribution
 Mainly groundwater

 Tabernas desert landscape just few kms noth of Almería city 9

Main Water Issues: Salinity and pollution
 Two main concerns: 8,0
 Excessive water withdrawals. Groundwater 7,0

 Watermelon yileld (kg·m-2)
 salinization 6,0
 Nonpoint source pollution caused by the irrigation 5,0
 return flows: Nitrates and salinization. 4,0

 Consequences of water salinization: 3,0
 2,0
 Reduced Crop alternative
 1,0
 • Tomato
 0,0
 • Watermelon 0,5 0,7 0,9 1,1 1,3 1,5 1,7 1,9
 Reduced yields Relative Irrigation Supply (RIS)

 Reduced area of soilless crops: Substrate culture Evolution of the substrate culture area in Almería
 is highly limited by the por water quality (approx.
 17%), since it is concentrated only in areas

 Area (ha)
 where water quality is high

 CGL2010-21865. Gestión integral de los recursos hídricos
 convencionales y no convencionales para el riego del Campo de
 Níjar (Almería):
Sánchez, J.A., Reca, J., Martínez, J., 2015. Water Productivity in a Mediterranean Semi-
Arid Greenhouse District. Water Resources Management 29, 5395–5411. Year 10
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-015-1125-5

Solutions and opportunities:
 increasing water resources
 The use of Desalinated SeaWater (DSW) is
 both a reality and an opportunity

 Use of Desalinated SeaWater (DSW)
  Advantages
  Safe and abundant water source
  Quality water (low salinity)
  Its use reduces the risk of salinization
  Disadvantages:
  Higher cost although diminishing Integrated DSW/groundwater
  Higher cost of fertilizers
 use
 Lower water costs RIDESOST
  Corrosion
 Lower fertigation cost
  Specific agronomic risks:
 Lower risks of DSW usage
  Phytotoxicity due to Bhorum and clorures
  Risk of soil alkalinization (Na+). 11

CIAIMBITAL DSW Research Projects

  Captación de datos de campo y análisis para la toma de decisiones sobre el consumo de agua,
 desalada y de pozos, para el cultivo de tomate, pimiento y sandía. 401047
  Entidades participantes: CUCN, Cátedra Cajamar
  Investigador principal: Diego L. Valera Martínez

  LIFE-DESEACROP (DEsalinated SEAwater for alternative and sustainable soilless CROP
 production) - LIFE16 ENV/ES/000341
  Entidades participantes: UPCT (Coordinador)-UAL
  Investigador principal (UAL): Diego L. Valera Martínez

  RIDESOST: SOSTenibilidad agro-fisiológica, ambiental y económica del RIego con agua marina
 DEsalinizada en cítricos y sistemas hidropónicos semicerrados en cultivos de invernadero
 (AGL2017-85857-C2-1-R)
  Proyecto coordinado: UAL-UPCT
  Investigador principal: Juan Reca Cardeña

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Experimental device ▪ Randomized design: 2 factors
 ▪ Culture: soil/substrate (2)
 ▪ Salinity (3)
 Water mixing Fertilizers
 ▪ 18 Experimental units, 6
 treatments and 3 repetitions
 CE: 0,6 CE: 2,2
 T1: DSW
 dS/m dS/m

 T2: DSW + CE: 1,5 CE: 2,5
Water sources mixing and irrigation head UW dS/m dS/m

 T3: DSW + CE: 3,0 CE: 3,5
 UW dS/m dS/m

 Leachates tank
 DSW tank

 Leachates treatment
 and recirculation

 RIDESOST Discharge of brines

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Integrated DSW/groundwater DSS
 models: GARUM and IRRIBLEND_DSW
 Multiple wáter sources Crop data Weather data Irrigation system data Fertilizers database

DSW

 Groundwater

 • Optimal water blending
 • Optimal fertigation strategy
 • Optimal economic revenue
 IRRIBLEND_DSW • Environmental recovery indicators
 Added Fertigation management
 Open Source (Python)

 RIDESOST Cloud computing (Google Collaboratory)

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N management in greenhouses
• UAL Crop Nitrogen and Irrigation Lab:
 • Regional studies to assess the flow
 of water, N losses and N balances in
 a highly concentrated intensive
 vegetable production system.
 • Assessment of monitoring
 techniques (optical sensors, sap and
 soil solution analysis) to evaluate
 crop N status
 • Development of simulation models
 to assess crop N and water
 requirements, and the use of both
 soil water and plant sensors for
 irrigation scheduling (VegSyst-DSS 15

 model). 15

Automatic control of soilless culture
based on a Smart Tray
 Tc
 VI
 Communication board
 VD

 VI - VD = Tc
 
 =
 
 Irrigation head SGAR Scada
 Crop units

 Drainage Tray and Substrate Bag

 Experimental Unit Experimental Greenhouse Tipping Bucket Flowmeter 16

Automatic control of soilless culture
 based on a Smart Tray
 0,1 3
 0,09
 2,5
 0,08
Drainage flow (ml s-1)

 0,07 2

 Tc (L m-2)
 0,06 Drainage hydrograph
 0,05 1,5

 0,04
 1
 0,03
 0,02 0,5
 Crop Transpiration (Tc)
 0,01
 0
 0 22/03 27/03 01/04 06/04 11/04 16/04
 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400
 ta Time (s) Day of the year

 Productive results.
 Treatment Irrigation Yield IWUE Fruits TDS Dry Biomass
 (Fruits m-2) (ºBrix) (%)
 (mm day-1) (g m-2) (L kg-1)
 Control (T0) 3.09 5230.85 19.07 94.16 4.46 6.51
 Automatic (T1) 3.42 5347.35 20.13 101.2 4.85 6.65
 M.S.D ns ns ns ns 0,25 ns
 NOTE: 17
 IWUE: Irrigation Water Use Efficiency
 M.S.D: Minimum Significative Difference (95% Confidence Level) 17

Growth Based Irrigation (GBI)

 (A)

Research contract: “Evaluación del sistema SupPlant, de control de Riego
automático Basado en el Crecimiento (GBI), en un cultivo hortícola bajo
invernadero mediterráneo” (Ref. 001332)
 (D)
  Soil/substrate sensors
  FDR – Capacitance probes (A)
 (E)
  Plant sensors (F)
  Stem dendrometer (B) (B)

  Fruits dendrometer (C)
  Leaf temperature sensor(D)
  Weather sensors
  Temparature, Humidity (E)
  Radiation (F)
 (C) 18

Growth Based Irrigation (GBI)

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Digitalization of the Irrigation Control
and Management
 Information and communications technology (ICT),
 wireless sensors and data communication using Wireless
 LPWAN networks (Low-Power Wide-Area Network): LORA,
 SIGFOX
 Artificial Inteligence (AI) based decisión algorithms able to
 integrate different information
 Internet of Things (IoT) and Cloud computing methods to
 store and analyze information on the internet.

 Irrigation Irrigation
 Head
 sectors

 20

¡¡ THANK YOU VERY MUCH
 FOR YOUR ATTENTION!!