Evangelina Medrano's talk at the FERTINNOWA conference: Sharing fertigation best practices across Europe

1. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research
and innovation programme under grant agreement No 689687
Technologies to Improve Water
and Nutrient Use Efficiency in
Soilless Crops
Evangelina Medrano

2. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
Introduction
• Most horticultural soilless systems in Mediterranean regions are designed as open
systems where leachates are not recovered:
– It is necessary to treat these effluents for not contributing to groundwater pollution.
– It is crucial to set up pilot plants to show the farmers how it is possible to gradually move to closed or
semi-closed systems that recirculate fertigation solution
• The water consumption is high and it is important to adjust the irrigation
management for a better efficiency use.
• The he management of the nutrient solution is carried out according to the
experience of the area.
• Some growers want to implement new water treatment systems for drainage
recycling and want to have data on efficiency of each one ( UV / biofiltration/
nothing … ).

3. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687

4. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687

5. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687 Horizon 2020
Technologies exchanged

6. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
Participants in the task
• Horticultural crops (tomato/cucumber/strawberry). Potted plants (Ornamentals,
Fresh herbs , Leafy vegetables ).
• With and without recirculation system
• Plastic-house, glasshouse and open air
• Task of FERTINNOWA project for the exchange and showcase of technologies for
the improvement of efficiency in soilless crops has had the highest participation of
partners:
1. IFAPA, (Spain, task leader)
2. INTIA (Spain)
3. CERSAA (Italy)
4. NIAB EMR (UK)
5. CATE (France)
6. ZW (Netherlands)
MEDITERRANEAN AREA
CENTRAL-WEST AREA

7. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
Substrate humidity monitoring with wireless sensor or
weighing scale on soilless tomato crop
Comité d’Action Technique et Economique (CATE) France
• To assess the ease of use and efficiency of wireless substrate humidity sensor and
weighing scale
• To understand the variability of the data of both types of measure ( humidity
sensor and weighing scale)
Weighing scale with integrated drainage measurement Wireless moisture sensor for substrates

8. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
Different types of technologies for the treatment and
recirculation of drain water on soilless tomato crop
Comité d’Action Technique et Economique (CATE) France
• To assess the efficiency of two methods for drainage treatment
• To enhance the use of drain water reuse and improve WUE and NUE
UV-c M-Line disinfection system
Biofiltration treatment system

9. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
VEGSYST: Irrigation management and nitrogen
fertilization in soilless tomato system.
Instituto Navarro de Tecnologías e Infraestructuras Agroalimentarias (INTIA) Spain
• Validate the VegSyst Decision Support Tool in the Ebro Valley (Spain) conditions and the
usual cropping cycles
• To demonstrate advanced technology that may be useful to farmers and advisors to
adjust doses of irrigation and N supply.

10. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
Use of absorbent mats to reduce nitrate leaching into
soil in potted plants cultivation
Centro di Sperimentazione e Assistenza Agricola (CERSAA). Italy
• Reduce nitrate leaching into soil and water bodies and reduce water
contamination by nitrates.
• Develop a framework of GAPs focused on the monitoring and control of nitrate
content in the soil and in water bodies to be applied in vulnerable areas.
• Rise policy makers’ awareness with regards to measures easily applicable in
agriculture for the protection of environment.

11. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
Airlift Technology
Proeftuin Zwaagdijk (ZW). Netherlands
• Using Airlift technology to circulate and increase oxygen levels in nutrient solutions
in hydroponics based on Deep Flow Technique for the production of leafy
vegetables, herbs and cut flowers.

12. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
CLEANLEACH technology based on Constructed Wetlands for the
recovering and treating of drainage from horticultural semi-
closed soilless systems
Instituo de Investigación y Formación Agraria y Pesquera (IFAPA). Spain
• To assess and showcase the use of a system Constructed Wetland + Carbon Supply
for denitrification and desalination of the leachates generated in soilless vegetable
cropping system (tomato and cucumber) in Almeria (Spain).
• To promote water use efficiency on horticultural soilless crops
• To know desalination and denitrification capacity of different plant species.

13. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
Precision irrigation in soft fruit production
WET Centre, NIAB EMR, ME19 6BJ, UK
• To showcase water efficient technologies focused on precision irrigation
management: high performance sensors will be connected to Data loggers which
automatically drives irrigation scheduling.
• Coir moisture content will be set and maintained within precise threshold levels
defined by the manager.
• Technologies to be showcased including DeltaLINK-Cloud, Delta-T Devices GP2
logger, Netafilm irrigation.

14. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation
programme under grant agreement No 689687
Thank you very much for your
attention