Last October, the Murcia Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research and Development (IMIDA) took part in the course ‘Technologies to transform irrigation: recover, reuse and produce’, organised by ASAJA Alicante, which covered the applications of the virtual weather stations from the e-Rigation Sudoe project. The course focused on exploring technologies to improve irrigation efficiency, optimise the use of water, energy and fertilisers, and move towards more sustainable agriculture.
A session was dedicated to the virtual weather stations developed by the e-Rigation Sudoe project. This presentation focused on the integration of different sources of meteorological information and the improvement of local, plot-scale forecasts, with the aim of enhancing irrigation water management in areas without nearby weather stations, as well as developing early-warning systems for climate-related risks. The topics covered included the integration of different sources of meteorological information and the improvement of local predictions at plot level to enhance irrigation water management in areas without nearby weather stations and to develop early warning systems for climate-related risks.
The course provided information on soil sensors, fertiliser optimisation, efficient and automated irrigation systems, drones and satellites, early detection of pests and diseases, predictive digital platforms and the automation of agricultural machinery. In this way, the training offered a comprehensive overview of various technological tools applied to the management of irrigated farms.
As part of the adoption of sustainable production technologies, IMIDA’s involvement contributes to training within the agricultural sector on tools that enable progress towards more efficient resource management.