The FruitCREWS COST Action disseminated its 3rd press release, marking significant progress the objectives of the Action. The release centered around the successes of the 2nd Annual Meeting, held in Seville, Spain, on April 9-10, 2024. The meeting gathered over 55 experts from more than 18 countries, underscoring the commitment to international cooperation and the exchange of groundbreaking ideas. Across two dynamic days, participants engaged in discussions and attended keynote talks that provided fresh insights into current challenges and advancements within the field.
The core of the meeting involved updates from various working groups, each focusing on a different facet of fruit tree research:
- Working Group 1 made headway in collecting and reviewing datasets, striving to decode tree behavior under conditions of water scarcity.
- Working Group 2 spotlighted their efforts in organizing training schools and the integration of mechanistic models into practical irrigation tools and decision support systems (DSS).
- Working Group 3 reviewed ongoing work and set the stage for future initiatives.
- Working Group 4 offered insights into the technical challenges and successes in incorporating models into DSSs, along with a survey of existing DSS for irrigation of fruit trees.
- Working Group 5 interacted with DG Agri to prepare for upcoming Living Lab surveys and create informative brochures aimed at fostering innovation in agriculture.
Looking ahead, FruitCREWS outlined its primary activities for 2024, which include hosting a workshop at the European Horticulture Congress in Bucharest and a training school at the University of Ghent. These initiatives aim to advance research and foster deeper collaboration across the global scientific community.
The annual meeting also featured a visit to the research experimental farm La Hampa, showcasing the innovative projects underway by the Irrigation and Ecophysiology group from IRNAS-CSIC. This visit highlighted several key initiatives, including the development of a DSS for irrigating olive orchards and exploring soil amendments to enhance nutrient use efficiency in olive cultivation.
FruitCREWS continues to drive significant advancements in the field of fruit crop water management, promoting sustainable practices and enhanced collaboration across continents. For more detailed information and updates read full press release.