GRANADA 8 Oct. () –
An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of Granada (UGR) and the New Zealand Landcare Research Institute (MWLR), has presented an innovative model that promises to “drastically improve water management in agricultural soils, particularly those of volcanic origin.
These soils, like others, present a wide variety of pore sizes that influence the behavior of water at different scales, as detailed by the UGR in a press release about this study, which has been published in the scientific journal ‘ Journal of Hydrology’.
This advance, as explained by the main researcher of the project from the UGR, Jesús Fernández Gálvez, “is crucial in a global context where water scarcity is one of the main threats to agriculture and the conservation of the natural environment.”
“The research offers a tool that not only improves the prediction of water flow in the soil, but also allows increasing the efficiency of water use in growing areas with extreme conditions,” he added. The team, also led by Joseph Pollacco (MWLR), has specifically developed a model that precisely divides the flow of water between macropores and the soil matrix, two essential components to “understand water dynamics in agricultural soils.”
This approach allows farmers to manage irrigation more efficiently, conserving a resource as valuable as water. “The model developed not only improves predictions of water flows in soils from volcanic regions, but also has applications in a wide range of non-volcanic soils, opening a range of possibilities to implement sustainable agriculture in contexts of water stress,” Fernández Gálvez has clarified.
This work has implications for the future of agriculture, especially in countries like Spain, where water scarcity is a growing challenge. In line with the objectives of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union, which promotes more competitive and environmentally friendly agriculture, this technology can be key to guaranteeing the sustainability of crops and improving efficiency in production. water resources management.
The CAP encourages the adoption of innovative practices that ensure the resilience of agricultural farms in the face of climate challenges, such as water stress, and this model is presented as a promising solution to “move in that direction”, the UGR has detailed.
APPLICATIONS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES
In addition to its application in agriculture, the model has the potential to be used in other industries that depend on efficient water management, such as forestry and natural resource management, the Andalusian academic institution has added.
The rigorous and applied approach to the management of essential resources positions these advances as a valuable resource for organizations such as the European Union and the United Nations in “future strategic decisions that affect both the environment and agricultural development,” these experts have pointed out. thread of your research.
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