Spring frosts represent one of the main risks for fruit production, especially during critical stages such as flowering and fruit set. Recent events, such as those in April 2022, caused significant losses in various production areas, highlighting the sector’s vulnerability and the need to improve existing protection systems.
In this context, protection systems based on water application have proven to be the most effective, as they take advantage of the heat released during freezing. Among these solutions, micro-sprinkling represents a technological advancement that maintains a high level of protection while significantly reducing water and energy consumption.
The project is structured around a pilot trial carried out in two representative locations in the fruit-growing area of Lleida:
In these plots, different frost protection systems have been installed to compare their performance under real field conditions. These include:
These systems operate with different water application rates, allowing their efficiency to be assessed under various agronomic conditions.
Several actions have been carried out in the pilot plots for the implementation and evaluation of frost protection systems, including:
A monitoring system has also been implemented to analyse the thermal behaviour of the crop during frost events and evaluate the performance of the different solutions under real field conditions.
This experience will allow:
In addition, the results will contribute to their application in other regions of the Sudoe area, promoting climate change adaptation strategies based on sustainable and resilient technologies.
