María del Carmen Salas: Expert in hydroponics that will be in Seminary of Lima
María del Carmen Salas is a PhD from the University of Almería and Professor of the Department of Agronomy of the aforementioned university house. His academic and research activity has focused on techniques of hydroponics and soilless cultivation, with special emphasis on water management and fertigation. She is currently coordinator of the Master in Mediterranean Horticulture under greenhouse and also directs the Specialist Course in Hydroponics and Soilless Cultivation organized by the University of Almeria.
At the XI International Blueberries Seminar, which will be held at the JW Marriott in Lima, Peru, next May 17, the expert will present the topic: "Hydroponic production in blueberries: Key aspects of management, criteria to consider, monitoring and control "
In the vast majority of its more than 70 articles and research carried out and published, its interest is aimed at learning about the different aspects of this type of management, both in the aspects of nutrition, irrigation or fertigation, analysis of substrate qualities in its different variants, and everything related to the cultivation without soil and its multiple tools and technological packages. In one of her many published research works related to soilless cultivation, María del Carmen Salas Sanjuán bases:
"It is expected that in the coming decades, the world of the population will increase by more than one 40%, approaching the 10 one billion people for 2050. In these circumstances, it will be necessary to increase crop yields and production efficiency to meet the demand for food for a growing population. Therefore, there is a need to develop crops that use nutrients more efficiently".
Benefits for bilberry
The concept of agriculture without soil is the combination of a set of techniques and technological elements that replace the soil and that allow the design of structures with the objective of taking advantage of and favoring suitable environmental conditions to produce the crops.
This management technique anyway needs an anchoring for the plant, a medium in which it is held, a substrate. With the technological development formulas of the most varied forms and contents have been created to use them according to the needs of size, variety, or phenological state of the plants and to better satisfy the needs of nutrients, temperature, respiration and humidity.
In the case of blueberries, which have superficial roots and require frequent watering, but also have the quality of little growth if the soil is saturated or excessively humid, substrates without soil allow them to receive optimum levels of moisture and adequate drainage. , and for their needs of slightly acid soil, hydroponic techniques are especially appropriate.
An advantage of growing cranberry in a hydroponic system is that the container allows to reduce the plantation frame, since the plant develops independently with a suitable substrate, without relying on the fertility of the soil. With this system, production can be doubled per unit area.
Greater and better control
Hydroponics increases production and allows cultivation in areas where soil conditions do not make it possible. Diseases or pathogenic biological agents are recurrent in crops in soil, a threat that does not exist in the fruit that replaces the soil. The control of the weeds in the crops in soil is very difficult, however, in the modality without soil, it is almost nonexistent.
On the other hand, the spacing of the plantations in soil limits fertility and the density of the plantation is lower, however outside the soil a high density and a greater use of space and light is achieved.
In the case of the nutrition of the plant, in soil it is more difficult to control, due to the variability of the environment, however in the substrate it has stability and allows to monitor and correct it.
Regarding water, in soil fruit production, there is a general tendency to stress due to lack or maldistribution of water resources, which is not the case in fruit management without soil, because hydroponic technology is based on the permanent disposition of applied water. rational and balanced way for an efficient use of the resource.
Finally, the substrates used in the fruit growing out of soil provide greater oxygenation to the plants, in comparison to that obtained by the crops in natural soils.
Source: Martín Carrillo O. - Blueberries Consulting
Previous article
Peru's main power driving its economy: The agricultural sectorARTÍCULOS RELACIONADOS
