Energy and Water Related Parameters in Tomato and Cucumber Greenhouse Crops in Semiarid Mediterranean Regions. A Review, Part II: Irrigation and Fertigation

Increasing agricultural systems' resource efficiency is the key action for producing adequate food quantities in semi-arid Mediterranean regions while coping with water scarcity, environmental constraints and economic issues. Optimisation of irrigation and fertigation practices imposes different approaches, considering plant-water-soil relationships based on prevailing greenhouse microclimatic conditions, ensuring optimal production per drop of water and unit of fertiliser. In the content of precision agricultural farming systems, nutrient uptake modelling, phyto-sensing, smart and sustainable technologies must be applied for monitoring and evaluating water and nutrients crops supply. However, in many cases, the use of irrigation and fertigation recipes given in the literature may not be compatible in the Mediterranean, as they usually originated based on northern European climatic conditions. The objective of this work is an attempt to understand various aspects of irrigation and fertigation management in vegetable fruiting crops such as tomato and cucumber towards nutrients and water resource sustainability in Mediterranean greenhouses.

Automated summary

Increasing resource efficiency in agricultural systems is crucial for producing adequate food in semi-arid Mediterranean regions. Optimizing irrigation and fertilization practices based on plant-water-soil relationships and greenhouse microclimatic conditions is essential. Advanced technologies are necessary for monitoring and evaluating water and nutrient supply in precision agricultural systems.