Articles
Fruit tree crop responses to water deficit and decision support systems applications: results from the FruitCREWS network
Article number
1468_55
Pages
425 – 436
Language
English
Abstract
Water scarcity and increasing evapotranspiration demands present major challenges for perennial fruit tree crops, necessitating strategies that improve orchard and vineyard water use efficiency.
Such strategies must be grounded in a robust understanding of plant water relations and supported by digital tools that enable informed irrigation decisions.
However, the adoption of decision support systems (DSS) for irrigation scheduling remains limited due to technical, economic, social, and/or practical constraints.
The FruitCREWS Cost Action network (https://cost-fruitcrews.eu/) addresses these challenges by advancing knowledge of fruit tree physiological responses to water availability across diverse environmental conditions.
The initiative focuses on identifying key physiological variables and indices for quantifying tree functionality and refining deficit irrigation strategies.
Efforts include the evaluation of sensors, as well as the development and adoption of models that capture tree responses to environmental changes, enabling more precise irrigation scheduling across a range of fruit tree crops.
In parallel, commonly used DSS are being critically reviewed, with attention to barriers limiting their uptake and potential pathways for wider adoption.
By integrating tree physiology, sensing technologies, crop modeling, and digital DSS, FruitCREWS seeks to drive innovation in irrigation management.
This contribution presents outcomes of the network, with emphasis on practical tools for growers, critical gaps in current approaches, and future research priorities.
The overarching aim is to advance resilient, efficient, and sustainable irrigation practices for orchards and vineyards under increasing water scarcity.
Such strategies must be grounded in a robust understanding of plant water relations and supported by digital tools that enable informed irrigation decisions.
However, the adoption of decision support systems (DSS) for irrigation scheduling remains limited due to technical, economic, social, and/or practical constraints.
The FruitCREWS Cost Action network (https://cost-fruitcrews.eu/) addresses these challenges by advancing knowledge of fruit tree physiological responses to water availability across diverse environmental conditions.
The initiative focuses on identifying key physiological variables and indices for quantifying tree functionality and refining deficit irrigation strategies.
Efforts include the evaluation of sensors, as well as the development and adoption of models that capture tree responses to environmental changes, enabling more precise irrigation scheduling across a range of fruit tree crops.
In parallel, commonly used DSS are being critically reviewed, with attention to barriers limiting their uptake and potential pathways for wider adoption.
By integrating tree physiology, sensing technologies, crop modeling, and digital DSS, FruitCREWS seeks to drive innovation in irrigation management.
This contribution presents outcomes of the network, with emphasis on practical tools for growers, critical gaps in current approaches, and future research priorities.
The overarching aim is to advance resilient, efficient, and sustainable irrigation practices for orchards and vineyards under increasing water scarcity.
Authors
B. Morandi, V. Hernandez-Santana, P. Losciale, K. Steppe, M. Mészáros, A. Ben-Gal, D.S. Intrigliolo, G.A. Manganaris, V. Mrkajic
Keywords
decision support systems, fruit crops, networking, plant water status
Groups involved
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