19/04/2025
IMIDA develops tools that improve soil water efficiency and reduce evaporation loss
Carry out projects in collaboration with companies and organizations to reduce water consumption while maintaining crop production and profitability.
Image of soil moisture measurement during the test with hydration agents
The community is advancing in the efficient use of water in agriculture and in the fight against climate change through research, innovation, and technological development. The goal is to reduce water consumption by incorporating the latest monitoring and sensor technologies, implementing techniques that allow understanding the complete irrigation cycle in plants or trees and the effect it has, or using strategies to retain moisture and prevent evaporation.
Through the Mercian Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Research and Development (IMIDA), which works in collaboration with companies and organizations in the sector, they carry out projects with multidisciplinary approaches that not only optimize water consumption but also promote sustainability and improve the environment.
The director of IMIDA, Andrés Martínez, stated that «the projects we carry out are intended to address current environmental challenges and, through scientific and technological development, contribute to ensuring the quality of fruits, as well as maintaining crop production and profitability.»
Andrés Martínez explained that «the region is a world reference in the development and use of the latest technologies that allow for the collection of precise and updated information on crops, soil, and climate, which can help farmers make more informed decisions and, therefore, improve the productivity of their crops and optimize their contributions.»
Among the technologies that IMIDA offers to the sector are, for example, agrometeorological stations, satellite TV stations, smart meters, humidity sensors, or those with potential water in the trunks of fruit trees or even in the leaves. All this information, the agrometeorological data, and the practical irrigation management are integrated with real-time precision irrigation algorithms in the plots that facilitate the farmer’s decision-making.
Agronomic Behavior
Another example is the work carried out by the IMIDA fructification team, which, by incorporating all the technology and applying knowledge of agronomic behaviors, allows them to know exactly what effects they have on the trees, closing the complete water cycle. This is essential for producers: knowing the exact amount of water the tree needs to optimize its use and increase fruit production.
Organic and Lined Hydration
Another strategy implemented, in this case in citrus crops, is hydration agents, which have proven to be an effective tool to improve water efficiency in the soil. These are compounds that reduce the surface tension of water, facilitating its homogeneous distribution and improving its retention. This allows water to reach the root area more efficiently, also reducing evaporation and leaching losses.
Research, conducted by the irrigation and physiology team in collaboration with agricultural companies and organizations, has shown that the application of hydration agents under water deficiency conditions allows for maintaining higher moisture content, especially in areas with higher root density. They also promote the retention of essential macronutrients, optimizing crop nutrition. These physiological improvements obtained with the application of moisturizers can be reflected in agronomic response, as they maintain fruit development and can increase their size, as well as the quantity of fruits harvested in the first harvest.
Another progress made in viticulture is the combination of controlled deficiency irrigation strategies, the use of more drought-tolerant material, and more sustainable soil management.
Among these sustainable soil management practices is the application of planted vegetable covers and organic coating. The organic coating (covered, for example, with barley straw) contributes, among other aspects, to moisture retention and reducing water evaporation, to reduce erosion, leaks, and seepage, which has proven useful in improving the water status of the vines.
Additionally, using other materials, such as pruning residues, as an organic coating could also be an ecological alternative to reduce soil evaporation and increase water productivity, promoting a circular economy with the use of waste, especially in areas with drip irrigation.
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