Agricultural Practices in the Mediterranean

Casas, J. Jesús; Bonachela, S.; Moyano, Francisco Javier; Fenoy, Encarnación; Hernández, José Miguel Azañón

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-407849-9.00003-8

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…This finding can be relevant for implementing new precise automatic irrigation scheduling technologies [28], which appears to be the best way of optimising water and nutrient use in soil-grown Mediterranean greenhouse crops. These results are still of great agronomical interest since there is an urgent need of improving the irrigation water use in many Mediterranean greenhouse areas due to increasing problems of water scarcity, and water and soil pollution and salinization [3,4]. Moreover, in the same area and greenhouse system, [14] recently found a higher yield and aerial biomass in a zucchini crop irrigated when the SMP reached −10 kPa, compared to that irrigated when the SMP reached −25 kPa or −40 kPa.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, this hypothesis can not be contrasted since measurements of soil water osmotic potential or soil solution EC are not available in this study. Therefore, further and more detailed research is required to optimise the irrigation water use (irrigation frequency and rate) in soil-grown greenhouse crops irrigated with moderate saline waters since the water quality of many greenhouse Mediterranean areas is deteriorating [3,4].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In soil-grown greenhouse crops, regulating the soil water availability without affecting plant photosynthesis by varying the irrigation frequency throughout the crop cycle can be useful for: (i) producing fruit vegetable plants with a better equilibrium between vegetative (source strength) and generative (sink strength) parts [16], or enhancing fruit quality [27]; (ii) modifying the soil root distribution in order to increase the potential root access to water and nutrients and to improve the use of these scarce resources; and (iii) controlling or minimising salt accumulation in the root zone. The latter might become of great interest since the irrigation water quality of many greenhouse Mediterranean areas is deteriorating [3,4]. Farmers, by varying the irrigation frequency, can maintain relatively low soil water availability when the plant vegetative growth is too vigorous or increase the soil volume explored by the roots, or can maintain relatively high soil water availability over periods under stressful climate conditions, such as periods of hot and dry winds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…One of the largest greenhouse areas in the world is located on the SE Spanish Mediterranean coast, where fruit-vegetable crops are usually grown in low-cost structures covered with plastic film, without active climate control systems and with enarenado (sand-mulched) soils [1]. In this and other Mediterranean greenhouse areas, crops are intensive and heavily fertigated, the irrigation water is usually scarce and the quality of surface and groundwater sources is deteriorating [2][3][4]. Consequently, there is increasing pressure to optimise irrigation management.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Vegetable Crops Grown under High Soil Water Availability in Mediterranean Greenhouses

Bonachela

González²,

Fernández³

et al. 2020

Water

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The soil water availability of six vegetable crop cycles, irrigated with water of 0.4 dS m−1 electrical conductivity, was modified by varying the irrigation frequency in typical Mediterranean greenhouses at SE Spain. The soil matric water potential (SMP) in the middle of the loamy soil layer where most roots usually grow was maintained between −10 and −20 kPa (H), −20 and −30 kPa (C), and −30 and −50 kPa (L) for the crops grown under high, conventional and low soil water availability, respectively, while the total irrigation water applied was similar for the three treatments. The high soil water availability (H) did not improve the fresh weight of total, marketable and first class fruits, or the shoot biomass and partitioning. The irrigation frequency did not affect the total root biomass at the end of the autumn–winter cucumber, but the crop under L distributed its root biomass more homogenously throughout the soil profile than the crop under H. Regulating the soil water availability (maintaining the SMP higher than or close to the level at which crop water stress may occur) over the cycle as a function of crop conditions or farmers’ requirements appears to be a useful management practice for controlling soil root distribution or shoot partitioning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Vegetable Crops Grown under High Soil Water Availability in Mediterranean Greenhouses

Bonachela

González²,

Fernández³

et al. 2020

Water

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“…Intensification in the case study was mainly associated with the advancement of wide-scale irrigation structures in territory that was traditionally rainfed. Agriculture within the irrigation perimeter has been developed to obtain higher yields and meet the increasing national and international demand for Mediterranean products [38,39]. There was a fast-growth of olive yards to meet the high demand for olive oil [40].…”

Section: Dealing With Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Unveiling Contrasting Preferred Trajectories of Local Development in Southeast Portugal

Esgalhado

Guimarães

2020

Land

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Mediterranean land systems are amongst the most susceptible to global change, in part due to the region’s vulnerability to climate change and misfit within a high production demanding political and societal setting. The impact of global drivers at a local scale (i.e., the possible trajectories of change of a territory) are context-dependent, and to some extent dependent on how local actors perceive them and act upon them. In this study, we focused on southeast Portugal and conducted 22 interviews and 1 collective workshop to understand how different actors across the territory anticipate the development of the region and its land systems. From our results, we get a picture of a depopulated territory, constrained by ill-adjusted policies to its harsh conditions, including little water availability and continuous depopulation. We found contrasting preferred trajectories of development for the territory. On one hand, there is a preference for prioritizing traditional land systems, usually rainfed and multifunctional. Contrasting, a need for water reservoirs that would increase water availability and allow for profitable agricultural activities and thus fixate population is recognized. The different perspectives fit with a wider debate on the role of agriculture, intensification and ecosystem services under an increasingly arid Mediterranean. The next challenge is to integrate technical expertise and knowledge with local needs and initiatives, to fit in a broader scale strategic plan. We identify a lack of technical support regarding soil health. Poor soil, from the perspective of several stakeholders, is a characteristic of the region. Knowledge dissemination is urgent so that farmers can proactively improve soil health and benefit from its capacity to increase production and retain water. We urge a higher effort from the scientific community focusing on marginal areas, supporting knowledge dissemination and analysis of the impacts of different trajectories of development.

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Analysis of the dynamics of the land use changes in the Mediterranean region of southern Spain and its relationship with water availability

Sillero‐Medina,

Galacho‐Jimenez,

Molina

et al. 2024

Geography and Environment

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In the recent decades, the increase in irrigated agricultural areas has been a constant trend in the Mediterranean region, being concurrent with a reduction in the availability of water resources, due not only to an increase in demand but also to a reduction in supply as a result of the climate crisis. This study has analysed the evolution in land use changes between 1991 and 2021 in the Mediterranean region of southern Spain; the increase in the areas occupied by irrigated crops has been quantified; the climatic and edaphic dynamics linked to water risks have been identified, analysing the evolution of the annual precipitation, the number of rainy days and the distance to the wilting point of the soil; and, finally, it has been determined which factors are the most explanatory in this dynamic of land use. Using several machine learning methods, we could state how the current dynamics of land use are not in accordance with the availability and evolution of water resources, and how the areas where irrigated crops have increased the most are those where the climatic pattern shows a greater decrease in water resources, indicating how decisions on land uses are not done considering climatological conditions, but economic benefits.

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Agricultural Practices in the Mediterranean

Cited by 15 publications

References 40 publications

Vegetable Crops Grown under High Soil Water Availability in Mediterranean Greenhouses

Vegetable Crops Grown under High Soil Water Availability in Mediterranean Greenhouses

Unveiling Contrasting Preferred Trajectories of Local Development in Southeast Portugal

Analysis of the dynamics of the land use changes in the Mediterranean region of southern Spain and its relationship with water availability

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