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The need to make food products more competitive is driving the incorporation of new cropping techniques.

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One of these techniques is controlled deficit irrigation.

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With controlled deficit irrigation strategies what we're looking for is to supply less water

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at those moments when the crop is less susceptible to a shortage of water,

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always trying to maintain the yield and the quality of the product.

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To apply these strategies successfully, it's fundamental that we know when those moments are,

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and to what extent it can be in a deficit situation.

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A technique applied to fruit trees in the Euroace region thanks to this project under the Riteca umbrella.

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What we're looking for is to find those moments at which the crop is less susceptible to a situation of stress

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and how much water stress it can withstand.

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To do this, we've set up irrigation treatments with different water doses,

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and we've evaluated its response both in the yield of the crop,

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and throughout the growing cycle, with measurements of water stress in the plant.

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What we aim to achieve with this project is fundamentally to save water through deficit irrigation strategies,

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to adjust irrigation schemes to the real needs of the crops and also to optimize some cropping practices such as pruning.

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On the other hand, there will be a series of indirect benefits such as lower energy use, lower costs for farmers,

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and in addition, it's an improvement in practice which benefits the environment.

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The practical application of these results is a direct application.

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In the case of the Japanese plum, we'll have trees of a more appropriate size for the work that has to be done with them,

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 and in addition with an internal part more exposed to the sun, improving the quality of the fruit.

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Communication of all this practical application and knowledge has been carried out through workshops,

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field visits and information leaflets.