Project Information Sheet

Monitoring tools for a sustainable management of irrigation and microclimate in European greenhouses (ECOLTURE)

Programme area: / Food and Drink Sector, Cleaner and innovative products, processes and services aiming at a reduction of waste, or/and increasing recycling and recovery.
Coordinator: / Amaia Uriarte
Inkoa Sistemas, Spain
E-mail:
Tel: +34 944180267
Partners: / Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain)
Barrenetxe, S Coop (Spain)
Website: / www. ecolture.com
Benefits
(max. 150 characters incl. space): / Increase sustainable capacities of agrifood SMEs releasing solutions for the eco-efficient management of irrigation and microclimate in greenhouses.
Keywords: / GREENHOUSE MICROCLIMATE FERTIGATION
Sector: / A1.1.3 - Growing of vegetables and melons, roots and tubers
Type of solution / Technology
Duration: / 06/06/2009 – 25/05/2012
Budget: / € 772.110,00 (EU contribution: 55,7%)
Contract number: / ECO/08/238990/SI2.532250

Summary

Ecolture project aims to boost the initial implementation of an innovative solution focused on the integrated and eco-efficient management of irrigation and microclimate variables in European SMEs with ornamental and horticultural grown in greenhouses, using soilless and closed-cycle cultivation systems (hydroponics).

The proposed solution consists of climate and irrigation control and monitoring system integrated by wireless sensors networks and software platform (expert system) which will provide a sustainable and integrated management of production processes in greenhouses. This new climate control system will be implemented with the objective of optimising and decreasing energy, water and raw material consumption while maintaining, or even increasing, quality and production rate. This project faces the demand of cleaner and more efficient production processes and will improve the competitiveness and eco-efficiency of the agri-food industry.

With the purpose of ensuring the replicability and marketability of the proposed solution at European scale, the project consortium will account with end users belonging to different European climatic zones with different cultivation systems.

Expected and/or achieved results

  • The key outcome of the Ecolture project will be to secure a more efficient and sustainable management of greenhouses by the monitoring and wireless control of both irrigation and microclimate variables of intensive cultures.
  • The expected results of the Ecolture project are the followings:
  • Reduce the water consumption by 25-30% in hydroponic greenhouses by the implementation of a platform allowing the on-line monitoring and recycling of the nutritive solution.
  • Improve the efficiency in energy consumption by the on-line monitoring of the microclimate and enhancing the efficiency of the equipment. The on-line and real-time monitoring of systems may lead to reduction in energy consumption of 20-40%.
  • Reduce the amount of wastes and chemicals by increasing the efficient use of external inputs. The precise supply of nutrients in correspondence with their uptakes, decrease in 30-35% the generation of wastewater, and in 40-50% the spillage of nutrients and fertilisers to the ground water.
  • The main target groups for the immediate commercialisation of the Ecolture technologies are SMEs or associations from the agricultural sector with ornamental and horticultural grown in greenhouses, using soilless and closed-cycle cultivation systems (hydroponics). The commercialisation of the systems will be focused on those installations with medium and high level of greenhouses structures, that is to say, those with glass and rigid plastic cover. Furthermore, the Ecolture technologies, enabling the on-line control and monitoring of the water quality, constitutes an important tool of horizontal character with multitude of applications, such as the monitoring of wastewater quality in all kind of processing facilities in the agrifood sector.
  • It is expected a steadily increase of the proposed control system demand, with a yearly rate of growth of 28%. The expectative of Ecolture systems commercialisation during the first year of the business plan is 300 ha, mainly glass covered. The proportion of horticulture and ornamental dedicated greenhouses will be 80% and 20% respectively.

The information sheet will be published in the Eco-Innovation website. The EACI reserves the right to edit the information sheet for content and length

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