Objectives
Key scientific issues to be dealt within the framework of the CasH project include:
- Plant responses to the CasH system (plant physiological and phenological parameters, nutritional status, water-, nutrient-, and radiation use efficiency etc.)
- Agronomic performance of production systems applying CasH (yield, product quality etc.)
- Effects of CasH to greenhouse microclimate
- Detection of potential limitations (e.g. nutrient, CO2, or light deficiencies, pathogen propagation) and, if required, identification of adequate counter measures (e.g. disinfection)
- Workflow-related aspects of CasH application (row spacing, harvesting technology etc.)
Economic viability of CasH (cost-effectiveness analysis, with or without consideration of environmental impacts)
Expected Scientific results
The expected scientific results include information on all relevant aspects of technical performance, plant responses, resource use efficiency environmental impact and economic viability under various CasH-scenarios. In the context of this pioneering research the generation of new knowledge and technologies regarding several subject areas is expected.
The recording and analysis of all relevant in- and outputs during at least 2 cultivation periods enables a comparison of the performance (water, fertilizer, light, energy and space use efficiency) of the individual components as well as the overall CasH system with that of a traditional one. The assessment of several environmental impact category indicators (EICI’s) will lead to insights regarding the environmental performance of the CasH system, which are defined on the basis of the different CasH modules, among which will be: Global warming potential (in order to investigate if the implemented technologies result in the reduction of GHG emissions), water scarcity or depletion index (in order to investigate if the implemented technologies result in reduced water consumption) and acidification and eutrophication potentials (in order to investigate if the implemented technologies result in reduced terrestrial and water pollution due to nutrients’ emissions).
Work packages and deliverables
WP1: (UTH, HGU) Management and coordination
WP2: (HGU, PW, WM) Crop selection
WP3: (HGU, UTH, WM, K-D, FVG, YARA) Cultivation practices
WP4: (AAIS, UTH, HGU, YARA) Decision Support System
WP5: (UTH, HGU) Performance evaluation and impact assessment
WP6: (UTH, HGU, AAIS, PW, FVG, YARA, K-D, WM) Dissemination and Continuation
Timeline
