Integrated olive orchard management

The aim of our project is to assess agri-ecological farming practices for soil quality & water retention improvements in the hilly slopes of Messinia.

To enhance olive grove water retention and mitigate soil degradation, management practices such as reduced tillage/ no-tillage and cover crops will be assessed in the hilly slopes of Messinia, Greece.

Soil surveys will determine soil physical (bulk density, aggregate stability, infiltration capacity), chemical (soil organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus) and biological properties to assess soil quality and water retention improvements.

Integrating these data with climate and water management modelling (WRF model) SALAM-MED will provide decision support to the identification of effective water-based practical and policy solutions, structurally coupled with increased resilience and recovery of degraded land.

Future climate variables (e.g.,temperature,precipitation, relative humidity, solar radiation) will be also downscaled in order to identify the effects of climate change in local temperature, precipitation and evapotranspiration.

Read more about the project in the link below:

https://www.salam-med.org/