Within the FruitCREWS COST Action, Working Group 3 (WG3) focuses on improving irrigation scheduling protocols for fruit crops. The group works on identifying effective routines that help estimate the right amount of irrigation to apply under different conditions. Another important objective is to evaluate irrigation scheduling approaches and develop protocols that help growers better manage within-field variability in plant water status.
Over the first three years of the Action, WG3 has concentrated on analysing existing knowledge on irrigation management in fruit crops. The group began by identifying irrigation protocols and routines that support accurate estimation of crop water needs through an extensive review of scientific literature. As a result, WG3 has compiled a large collection of references covering irrigation practices across different climatic conditions and orchard management systems for crops such as apples, pears, berries, peaches, kiwifruit, olives, almonds and grapevines.
The Working Group has grown to more than 175 members, forming a strong collaborative network of researchers and experts working on irrigation management. Building on the collected knowledge, WG3 is currently processing and organising this library of information in order to identify practical solutions tailored to specific fruit crops, climatic regions and management practices.
An important outcome of this work is the preparation of several review papers addressing irrigation requirements for different fruit species. A review paper titled “Water productivity in olive trees: Current advances and new perspectives” was recently published in Agricultural Water Management, providing valuable insights into irrigation strategies and water productivity in olive production. In addition, a review paper on almond irrigation has recently been submitted, while further reviews focusing on apple and pear, peach, grapevine and kiwifruit are currently under preparation.
WG3 members have also actively shared their work at various scientific events, meetings and conferences. The third FruitCREWS Annual Meeting, held from 16–18 June 2025 in Naoussa, Greece, brought together more than 100 participants from 24 countries and provided an important platform for discussion and collaboration. Additional WG3 meetings and presentations took place during events such as the WG3 meeting in Prague in September 2024 and the AgroReS 2025 Symposium, where researchers presented work on drought stress responses and irrigation needs under climate change conditions. Other contributions addressed the role of microclimatic variability in determining water requirements in raspberry production. During these events, WG3 members collaborated closely to advance their common goals and presented their work to the wider scientific community and stakeholders.
In the final year of the COST Action, WG3 will focus on synthesising and summarising the knowledge gathered during the previous three years. The group will continue to finalise ongoing review papers while exploring opportunities to maintain and further expand the collaborative network beyond the lifetime of the COST Action. The ultimate goal is to continue improving irrigation knowledge and support growers and stakeholders in adopting the most effective irrigation practices.
As highlighted by Prof. Brunella Morandi, Action’s Chair:
“We are still overirrigating. We need to search for appropriate solutions to improve irrigation protocols to save water for sustainable agriculture and fruit production in the future of climate change. The collaborative environment within FruitCREWS has accelerated innovation not only across Europe.”
The work of WG3 contributes directly to the FruitCREWS mission by integrating and scaling up knowledge generated in Working Groups 1 and 2, moving from tree-level research towards orchard-level management solutions. By combining scientific understanding with practical guidance, WG3 supports the development of improved decision support systems and better irrigation scheduling strategies for fruit crops across different environments.
Working Group Leader:
Dr. Martin Mészáros
Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology, Holovousy Ltd.
martin.meszaros@vsuo.cz