Project

OrnAqua: A new irrigation frame of reference for increasing water use efficiency in outdoor plant production

Code
179W8921
Duration
01 December 2021 → 30 November 2025
Funding
Regional and community funding: IWT/VLAIO
Research disciplines
  • Agricultural and food sciences
    • Agricultural hydrology
Keywords
wateruse efficiency
 
Project description

The overall aim of this project is to offer ornamental growers tools to incorporate the water factor in their operations in a reasoned and sustainable way, while ensuring that commercial quality (length, diameter, homogeneous flowering, etc.) is maintained. The project includes, on the one hand, optimised cultivation techniques and new technologies to decide when irrigation
is desirable and how much water is needed. On the other hand, the project also considers practical drought-mitigating cultivation techniques that can be applied to farms that do not (yet) turn to irrigation or farms that already irrigate but want to reduce irrigation needs.