Dr. Assaf Chen from the Migal Galilee Research Institute (Israel) carried out a Short-Term Scientific Mission from 23–27 June 2025 at IRTA – Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology in Lleida, Spain. Hosted by Dr. Victor Blanco, he focused on irrigation management, plant-water relations, and remote sensing in Mediterranean orchards. The programme combined field visits, institutional meetings, and scientific exchange.
During the mission, Dr. Chen visited almond, olive, and grapevine trials, observing experiments on deficit irrigation and salinity stress. He gained valuable insights into IRTA’s experimental designs and sensor applications, while sharing his own expertise from MIGAL. His seminar on UAV imagery, deep learning, and LiDAR applications received strong interest from IRTA researchers. Discussions with Prof. Jaume Casadesús also opened perspectives for future collaboration.
The STSM strengthened ties between MIGAL and IRTA and advanced the goals of FruitCREWS COST Action. It laid the groundwork for joint Horizon and PRIMA proposals, dataset exchange, and reciprocal visits. The mission promoted knowledge transfer and best practices for water-efficient fruit crop production. All activities were funded by the COST programme.