Energy Efficiency Applied to Irrigation Strategies for a Sustainable Agriculture in the Mediterranean Area

摘要

This paper describes and presents preliminary results of a demonstrative European project based on energy efficiency applied to irrigation strategies for the Mediterranean area. Measurements of the vegetative growth, fruit physicochemical parameters and crop yield values are analyzed to optimize the irrigation strategies and thus minimize both power and water demanded by the crops. Moreover, these alternative irrigation strategies aim to reduce not only the energy consumption but also water resources, which have significantly reduced during the last years in the Mediterranean area and characterized by significant scarcity areas. Extensive results in terms of energy and water requirements are included in the paper, assessing the proposed reduced irrigation strategies within high quality agricultural standards currently demanded by the markets.