INVITATION
Open day for the public
OPEN DAY
The Laboratory of Agricultural Structures and Environmental Control of the University of Thessaly organizes an open day at the facilities of the Pilot Greenhouse Park of the Laboratory of Agricultural Structures & Environmental Control at the University of Thessaly Farm in Velestino and invites all those interested to visit the Greenhouse Park on Monday, May 20, 2024, from 10:00 to 15:00.
Address: Old National Road Volos – Larissa
Directions (Google Maps): https://maps.app.goo.gl/SifFko8BzSwdfaQP7
The aim of the event is to present the technologies and practices tested by the team of the Agricultural Structures Laboratory in the framework of its participation in a series of research projects such as PestNu (Horizon 2020), ECONUTRI (Horizon Europe), REGACE (Horizon Europe) and others, which are being implemented in the Pilot Greenhouse Park.
In addition, the event aims at networking between participants and stakeholders, both to exploit research results and to discuss needs for further research.
In the Pilot Greenhouse Park developed and operated by the Laboratory of Agricultural Structures, one of the largest in the Mediterranean, with a high level of installed technology and specialization in hydroponics, a network of experimental approaches based on the idea of recycling and circular economy protocols in hydroponic crops is underway.
The Laboratory team designs, develops and evaluates technologies for the greenhouse, leveraging funding from participation in prestigious and far-reaching European research projects, taking a holistic approach to the idea of circular economy. The projects aim to achieve rational management of inputs, reduce and reuse outputs, increase the resource use efficiency and productivity of greenhouse systems and reduce their environmental footprint.
The PestNu project (Green Deal Horizon 2020), a consortium of 20 partners from 9 different European countries, aims to reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture through the use of agro-ecological practices and digital and smart agriculture technologies. The PestNu project evaluates in the overall food production chain system, from the farm to the consumer’s plate, smart digital technologies, the interconnection of computational, engineering and digital machines, data analysis methodologies, artificial intelligence solutions and automated decision support processes. Robotic AI traps for real-time pest control and autonomous mobile robots for on-site 3D spot spraying of plants are also being tested. Finally, agroecological and biological practices are being evaluated, such as automated agricultural waste recycling systems, on-site production of biofertilisers from agricultural waste and wastewater through an automated runoff recycling system.
In the framework of the ECONUTRI project (Horizon Europe), the Laboratory developed and tested in the Pilot Greenhouse Park technologies and practices for smart crop fertilization management, incorporating solutions that are part of a holistic concept based on nutrient recycling and protocols for circular economy systems (Cascade Hydroponics) in the management of water and nutrients in hydroponic crops.
In the framework of the REGACE project (Horizon Europe), the Laboratory’s team has undertaken to investigate an important challenge: to implement photovoltaic systems that will produce electricity on the roofs of greenhouses inside which cabbage crops will be grown. The challenge lies in the fact that these two systems, photovoltaic and greenhouses, operate in competition with each other, as both need solar radiation. In order to address this challenge, PTH will install in the Pilot Greenhouse Park, inside the greenhouse and above the crop, photovoltaic panels, which will have the peculiarity that they will be able to rotate on their axis, thus making it possible to adjust their position and thus the shading they will cause in the greenhouse environment and will then investigate their impact on both the crop and the electricity produced. The aim of the project is to develop the optimal management strategy for photovoltaic plants, which will allow the maximum possible utilization of solar radiation for electricity production and at the same time ensure the optimal conditions for crop growth. The maximum profit will thus be obtained from the optimal combination of electricity production and greenhouse products, while the greenhouse, with the energy from the photovoltaic panels, will cover its energy needs and the excess can be supplied to the grid, thus making the greenhouse more sustainable and productive. A carbon dioxide enrichment parameter of the greenhouse will be added to the system to investigate the improvement of crop productivity in low light conditions. In addition to the economic impact, there is also a positive impact on the ecological-environmental sustainability of the greenhouse, as the project will contribute to the diversity of the energy production market in which greenhouse owners will be able to play an important role.
The Director of the Laboratory of Agricultural Structures and Environmental Control of the University of Thessaly
Nikolaos Katsoulas, Professor
E-mail address : [email protected]
