As due date for abstract submission for the FruitCREWS workshop is approaching, hurry up and submit your abstract through the following form: click here. The workshop titled “Water relations and irrigation of fruit crops: from science to policy and practice”, will be held as a part of FruitCREWS Annual Meeting, in Naoussa (close to Thessaloniki, Greece) on June 17th and 18th 2025.
Second set of keynote speakers and their topics are:
- Manuela Zude-Sasse
Topic: Close-range remote sensing for characterizing the tree water status of apple trees
After training as professional gardener and studying Chemistry and International Agriculture, Manuela Zude-Sasse obtained a PhD in Horticultural Engineering at Technical University Berlin, followed by postdoc position at INRA-Versailles, associate professorship at Humboldt University Berlin, and nine years as full professor at applied university Beuth Hochschule für Technik Berlin. Meanwhile, Manuela has been chairing the research group Precision Horticulture at Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB) and works in the startup company CP. Her research interest is on physical properties of fresh fruit. Recent work capture the development of methodologies for in-situ analysis of whole canopy and fruit.
- Fulai Liu
Topic: Biological water-saving irrigation practices for improved quality and water-use efficiency in fruit crops.
Fulai Liu is a full Professor in Crop Stress Physiology at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. He received BSc in Agronomy from China Agricultural University in 1992, MSc in Horticulture from University of Hannover in 2000, and PhD in Crop Physiology from Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen in 2004. His research concerns the regulation of growth and functioning of crop plants subjected to environmental perturbations particularly drought stress. He has significantly contributed to explore the role of abscisic acid in crop response to abiotic stresses. For the first time in literature, he reported a transgenerational effect of elevated CO2 concentration on drought adaptation and grain quality in wheat. Besides, he elucidated the roles of stress priming and cross stress tolerance in barley and wheat plants. He has published 298 ISI peer-reviewed papers, 3 books and 12 book chapters, and > 80 conference papers. His publications have been cited > 17,500 times with an h-index of 70. He is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science and an associate editor for Frontiers in Plant Science. He has supervised 21 MSc students, 41 PhD students, and 8 postdocs.
- Vito Buono
Topic: Bridging the gaps between the models to irrigation practice
Background academic studies in Agronomy, following post-graduate courses in Irrigation Science. Past experiences as technical assistant at Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM-MAIB), involved in several research and cooperation projects related with water and irrigation management at the Mediterranean scale. Currently working as head of agronomic research for the BLULEAF DSS digital platform, providing technical support for software design and development, and for field application and assistance to end-users. Involved as participant or coordinator of several research and innovation projects related with digital and precision agriculture at both national and European scale, including a number of Operational Groups (founded in the framework of EU EIP-AGRI) related with technology transfer in water and irrigation management.
- Gregory Gambetta
Topic: The state of the art in grapevine water relations
Greg is a professor of viticulture working at the agricultural graduate school (Bordeaux Sciences Agro) and the Institut des Sciences de la Vigne et du Vin (ISVV) in Bordeaux, France. He received his PhD from UC Davis while working in the department of Viticulture and Enology and has worked for over 15 years as an industrial and academic researcher in the U.S., Mexico, Italy, and France. His research on grapevine adaptation to drought and the impact of environment on winegrape ripening is internationally recognized. Through his work Greg has been recognized as a Fulbright scholar, National Science Foundation award recipient, and California Council on Science and Technology fellow. His interests are focused on three primary areas: (1) rootstock effects on scion physiology especially with regard to root water uptake and adaptation to stress (drought, salt, etc.); (2) vine hydraulics and water relations at the cell, organ, and whole plant levels; (3) the control of ripening processes, specifically veraison, and how environment and stress impact berry development and berry composition.
