Development of an Integrated Fertilization and Irrigation Management for Protected Cultivation of Horticultural Crops Using Non-Invasive Sensors

Within the scope of future cooperation, the fertilization and irrigation management for protected cultivation of vegetable crops in China should be optimized with the use of non-invasive sensor technologies. There, the long-time experience of the Department of Biosystems Engineering in the field of greenhouse control and phytomonitoring is of considerable use. The control algorithms were developed suitable for Central European climate conditions and crop plants (e.g. cucumber, tomato, lettuce and peppers) and have to be adapted to the conditions of China. Aside culture-specific peculiarities (e.g. in melon and eggplant) also diverging technical production conditions have to be taken into consideration. Starting with an extended baseline investigation in several Chinese provinces (Shandong, Guizhou, and Shanghai) methods for water and nutrient efficient cultivation of protected crop will be worked out. In 2016, a one-week-trip to China is planned by three scientists of the Humboldt University (HU). At the Shanghai Jiao Tong University the results of current research shall be presented mutually in a colloquium and possibilities of future cooperation will be discussed. First, contact will be made with Prof. Qingliang Niu who is interested in joint projects for more efficient nutrient and water use of horticultural crops. Furthermore, it is planned to visit the Shandong Agricultural University (SDAU), with over 30,000 students one of the most important agricultural universities in China. The focus is on contacting Chinese colleagues at the College of Horticulture Science and Engineering. In the first quarter of 2017, a return visit to Germany is planned by Chinese scientists, to be presented to the Humboldt University and other institutions of agricultural research in the Berlin/Brandenburg (among others Leibniz Institutes ATB Potsdam-Bornim and IGZ Grossbeeren). In the second half of 2017, a two-week research visit to China is planned by two scientists of HU. Joint project proposals shall be substantiated and in preliminary investigations first data collection will be carried out. For this purpose, trips to several important vegetable growing areas are planned. In the second quarter of 2018, Chinese scientists plan a three-week research visit at the HU. Potential applications within the framework of the EU program Horizon 2020 will be completed. At the same time, Chinese scientists will be introduced to the HU plant monitoring system (Bermonis) which measures and registers phytosignals. This system should be adapted to the Chinese production conditions and can also be used for climate control in the greenhouse. Moreover, new approaches concerning closed water and nutrient cycles in greenhouse shall be developed which might be enhanced during further cooperation.