IRTA works on its platform to automate the planning of the irrigation campaign

The IRRIX system is being tested in 16 irrigation sectors in several areas of Spain. Each day data is collected through sensors and the system adjusts irrigation needs autonomously. The IRRIX web platform for automatic monitoring and control of irrigation developed by IRTA will be applied in several areas of Lleida, Badajoz and Almería within a project financed by the National Institute of Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA). It is a pioneering platform that creates predictions of irrigation needs and executes decisions autonomously. The system works from collected data through sensors installed in the field that cross with meteorological data references and available water resources in the plot. With this information, the platform plans the irrigation campaign efficiently and adjusted to each case, without requiring practically dedication by operators. Each day the system automatically adjusts itself according to the indications of the sensors, within the margins that allow the planning established at the beginning of the campaign. The INIA project is evaluating the most recent version of IRRIX of 16 irrigation sectors in olive, almond, apple, plum and tomato crops in greenhouses. The project is being carried out in collaboration with the Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de Extremadura (CICYTEX), Estación Experimental de Cajamar "Las Palmerillas" and the company Lab-Ferrer. At the same time, IRTA is working on other projects that study the application of this platform model on a commercial scale and its connectivity with hardware and software from other suppliers.