Hortganic Operational Group: Efficient use of different sources of organic matter in Mediterranean agriculture

Vegetables are a very important crop in the Spanish agricultural sector, with a production of 15,106 tons and a value of almost €6,000,106 in 2014 (MAGRAMA, 2016). The areas with the highest production include Andalusia, Murcia, and the Valencian Community.

It is a highly technical sector, whose products command high market prices. As a result, its input consumption is significant, and fertilizers constitute one of the main expenditure items.

In order to reduce fertilizer costs, combined with the current challenge of recovering residual organic materials and recognizing the role of organic matter in maintaining soil quality and fertility, agricultural practices are shifting toward reducing the input of mineral products by replacing them with organic matter of various types and origins.

To this end, the HORTGANIC operational group was formed. Its main objective is to design a tool for managing organic products in the fertilization of horticultural crops, through the development of a simulation model for the mineralization and assimilation of organic matter adapted to the specific soil conditions, climate, and main horticultural cropping systems in Spain.