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| Víctor Blanco Montoya has received the second prize of the AgroBank Chair award, to which 37 applications from all over Spain were submitted | The doctoral thesis of Víctor Blanco Montoya defended at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) has received the second prize of the award given annually by the AgroBank Chair of the University of Lleida for the best research in the agri-food field.37 applications from all over Spain were submitted to this year's call, 16% more than in the previous edition, according to the chair's director, Antonio Ramos.
The doctor from the UPCT Víctor Blanco analyzed in his thesis, directed by the professors Rafael Domingo Miguel and Alejandro Pérez Pastor, different strategies for controlled deficit irrigation in cherry trees which were followed remotely through the monitoring of water in the soil and on the floor.
The research provides a model for estimating the water status of trees from wireless networks of soil and climate sensors.The work focuses on Mediterranean cultivation areas, highly vulnerable to water scarcity and the effects of climate change.
The tests carried out by researchers from the schools of Agronomic Engineering and Industrial Engineering, in which this thesis is included, and which took place at the Toli farm, located in Jumilla, and in the laboratories of the UPCT School of Agronomists showed that It is possible to reduce by 45% the contributions of water to the cherry trees during the summer.This amount translates into water savings ranging between 2,500 and 2,700 cubic meters per hectare, without affecting production or the quality of the next harvests.
The researchers calculate that 7 million liters of water per hectare are required to fully satisfy the needs of the crop, while with the technique of controlled deficit irrigation, between 4.3 and 4.5 million liters would suffice, point out the thesis directors.
and researchers from the Electronic Systems and Engineering Division group at the UPCT.
«The proposed controlled deficit irrigation strategy consists of satisfying the needs of the crop during the pre-harvest (period of fruit development) and floral differentiation, avoiding over-watering, and applying during the rest of the post-harvest a controlled water deficit that implies satisfying the 55% of the crop's water needs ”, explains the author of the thesis.
Víctor Blanco (Miranda de Ebro, 1990) is currently awarded a scholarship by the Seneca Foundation-Science and Technology Agency of the Region of Murcia to carry out a two-year postdoctoral stay in the Department of Horticulture, in the Tree Fruit Research area ( Seattle) from Washington State University in the United States, although it has not yet been able to join due to the coronavirus pandemic.The young man from Burgos studied at the University of Logroño in Agricultural Technical Engineering.He decided to continue his training at the UPCT School of Agronomists.
In the last three years, he has enjoyed research initiation scholarships and contracts associated with research projects.In addition, during this time he has made two stays in Chile to expand his knowledge in cherry cultivation.
The team of Professor Roque Torres Sánchez, from the Systems and Automation Engineering area, who has been in charge of technical assistance for the installation and maintenance of sensor and communication networks, has participated in the research work linked to this doctoral thesis.
allowing remote control of the sensor network and the irrigation installation.
The winning thesis of the first prize of the chair in ilerdense was that of Irina Torres, PhD from the University of Córdoba, on the use of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy in the fruit and vegetable sector to control the quality, traceability and food safety of products, directed by teachers María Teresa Sánchez and Dolores Pérez.
Source: UPCT
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