Mediterranean Workshop on new technologies of recycling non conventional water in protected cultivation: Opportunities and new challenges for arid and semi-arid areas

Greenhouse horticulture in the Mediterranean area was passing a period of enormous growth during the last 20 years as being a very successful method of crop production. Now, as at many places groundwater basins are more and more overexploited and several countries are facing a huge water deficit, the specific possibilities of greenhouses for water saving are getting into the focus of general interest. The attention is now changing from production rates calculated by square meters to production rates calculated by liters of water. To further improve the water efficiency, there are two major directions of technological development :
• Closing the greenhouse means to provide internal cooling and dehumidification processes instead of climate control driven by air exchange.
• Greenhouse integrated seawater desalination can be realized in different ways. The major approaches are either desalination in a separated volume over the greenhouse cover (like in a
solar still), or as an input/output system with evaporation at the greenhouse air inlet and condensation or absorption at the air outlet.
• The reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation of non-eatable crops and use of greywater for eatable crops .

The workshop will cover the following topics:

• technologies for proper re-use of wastewater in irrigation,
• technologies for solar sea- or brackish water desalination
• technologies of rainwater harvesting
• greenhouse structure minimizing crop water consumption

Definitive titles and abstracts should be sent to the Scientific Committee before March 1st, 2008. The Scientific Committee, who will decide whether or not to accept them for publication in the abstract volume, will evaluate them.

Important dates:

• March, 1st 2008 : Deadline for submitting preliminary registration form
• March, 30th 2008 : Deadline for submitting abstracts
• April, 1st 2008 : Deadline for submitting full paper