The Minister of Rural Development and Food, Lefteris Avgenakis, representatives of the political leadership, the academic community, institutional bodies and agricultural cooperatives, producers and ginners, as well as business executives were present at the event and approached key issues that concern Greek cotton cultivation, with the ultimate goal of drawing up future strategies for the top Greek product.

Ioannis Mavroudis, Vice President and Executive Director of NEUROPUBLIC, the company that plays a leading role in the green and digital transformation of agriculture in our country, spoke about a series of innovative technological products aimed at cotton growers in order to make their production easier and more efficient.

In fact, Mr. Mavroudis also presented the major project “Digital Transformation of the Agricultural Sector” which concerns the modernization of the agricultural sector in order to cope with the great challenges it has been facing in recent years.

The project undertaken by NEUROPUBLIC in collaboration with OTE, will give the producer direct access to a wealth of data to be able to have an insight into the conditions of temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, soil temperature and humidity, soil salinity, leaf moisture, rainfall, etc. that prevail in the field and its cultivation. Thus, it will be able to comply with the regulatory framework of the EU and the new CAP, improve its production qualitatively and quantitatively, save money and effectively deal with the risks that threaten its cultivation.

The 4th Panhellenic Cotton Congress had a rich agenda that highlighted burning issues of producers and the industry, while it was for another year an important forum for the promotion of Greek cotton, the problems it is called upon to face, as well as its future potential.

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On Wednesday 12.07.2023 the temperature will reach:

• in the Northern Continental region 39 oC.
• In Central Greece 38 oC, in Thessaly 41 oC, while in the rest of the continental regions it will not exceed 35 oC.
• In the island regions the maximum temperatures will reach 33 – 35 oC.

On Thursday 13.07.2023 the temperature will rise further:

• In the northern continental areas the temperature will reach 38oC while in many areas of Central Macedonia it will reach 40oC.
• In Thessaly the maximum temperature will reach 41oC, in Central Greece 38 – 40oC, while in the rest of the continental regions 38oC.
• In the island regions the maximum temperature will reach 33 – 35 oC. (In the Dodecanese and South Crete 2 degrees higher).

On Friday 14.07.2023 there will be a peak of the phenomenon:

• In Central Macedonia maximum temperatures will reach 41 – 42 oC. In the rest of the northern continental regions the maximum temperature will reach 38 – 39 oC.
• In Thessaly the maximum temperature will reach 43 – 44 oC, in Central Greece 41 – 42 oC.
• In Attica the temperature will reach 41 oC, while in the rest of the continental regions the maximum temperature will reach 38 – 40 oC.
• In the island regions the maximum temperature will reach 34 – 37 oC (in the Dodecanese and South Crete 1 – 2 degrees higher).

On Saturday 15.07.2023:

• In Central Macedonia maximum temperatures will reach 41 oC. In the rest of the northern continent the maximum temperature will reach 39 – 40oC.
• In Thessaly the temperature will reach 43 oC, while in the Central region (including Attica) the maximum temperature will reach 40 – 42 oC. In the Peloponnese, maximum temperatures will reach 39 – 41 oC.
• In the rest of the continent maximum temperatures will reach 39 – 41 oC.
• In the island regions maximum temperatures will reach 38 – 39 oC.

On Sunday, 16.07.2023, there will be a slight weakening of the phenomenon. However, high temperatures will prevail until early next week.

Indicatively, the risk limits of the main crops from the effects of high temperatures are given:

Vine: Risk from heatwave at temperatures T >= 38°C

Cotton: Risk from heatwave at temperatures T >= 34°C

Apricot: Risk of heatwave at temperatures T >= 38°C

Tobacco: Risk of heatwave at temperatures T >= 42°C

Walnut: Risk of heatwave at temperatures T >= 36°C

Peach tree: Risk of heatwave at temperatures T >= 38°C

Tomato tree: Risk of heatwave at temperatures T >= 30°C

Potato: Risk of heatwave at temperatures T >= 30°C

Irrigation recommendations for the heatwave

Irrigation during a heatwave is vital to ensure the health and survival of plants. Here are some tips to help you optimize your irrigation practices during a heatwave:

1. Water deeply and infrequently: Instead of frequent light watering, provide deep watering to encourage plants to develop deep root systems. This allows them to access moisture from lower soil levels and become more resistant to heat stress. Deep watering also helps reduce water loss through evaporation.
2. Water early in the morning or late in the evening: Watering during the cooler hours of the day minimizes evaporation and allows plants to absorb moisture efficiently. Avoid watering during the hottest hours, as water can evaporate before plants can take advantage of it. In addition, water droplets on leaves can act as mirrors, concentrating sunlight in one spot, resulting in burns to the fruit and leaves.
3. Use drip irrigation: This method of irrigation delivers water directly to the base of the plants, minimizing water loss through evaporation. Drip irrigation also ensures that water reaches the rootstock more efficiently, promoting effective water absorption.
4. Monitor soil moisture: Regularly check the moisture levels in your soil to avoid over- or under-irrigation. Use a moisture meter to determine if the soil is at a sufficient moisture level and adjust your irrigation schedule accordingly.
5. Give priority to water-sensitive plants: If you have a limited amount of irrigation water, prioritize watering high value plants or plants that are more sensitive to heat stress. This ensures their survival and minimizes potential losses.

Get detailed and accurate information about the weather in your area from

SmartWeather

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The executive of NEUROPUBLIC had an informative and comprehensive discussion with the journalist Dimos Bakirtzakis about the application of the gaiasense system in cotton cultivation.

Greece has for years been at the top of the EU in terms of cotton production and export, with 80% of the European cotton growing area. At the same time, both climate change and the pandemic have created a great deal of stress for Greek producers who have set themselves short-term objectives of maintaining high levels of production and quality of cotton, while reducing the cost of production.

How can smart farming help cotton production? The answer to this question, as well as to many others, was given a few days ago by Konstantinos Tsiounis, Sales Manager of NEUROPUBLIC. In an in-depth interview with the journalist Dimos Bakirtzakis of Radio Chronos 87.5 FM in the prefecture of Rodopi, Mr. Tsiionis made sure to entertain the impression that smart farming is a difficult and expensive business.

“This service is for every producer. One can get access to all smart farming services without having to invest in expensive technological equipment,” he claimed.

At the same time, the executive of the Greek company Technology and IT analyzed the benefits of gaiasense in cotton production, as reflected in field studies: “We have proven the benefits of gaiasense after five years in the region and that too in cotton production.”

Significant benefits from smart farming

Specifically, in the case of cotton, gaiasense has shown that it can reduce irrigation water use by up to 14% and plant protection input costs by up to 28%. At the same time, it helps to reduce by 25% the electricity consumed for irrigation, while the production can at the same time have an overall benefit of +30%.

As to why the Rodopi region was chosen, Mr Tsioniis was clear. “The Prefecture of Rodopi, in which we have invested significantly over the last five years, is a dynamic region both in cotton and in other crops in which we have already developed a great deal of expertise and can directly provide a service that gives added value to the producer – both qualitatively and quantitatively”.

Watch the full interview below.

https://soundcloud.com/87-5fm/neuropublic-sa

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With the aim of supporting cotton production in Greece, NEUROPUBLIC’s gaiasense smart farming system provides a range of services tailored to the specificities of each region where it is applied.

The aim of gaiasense is to put advanced technologies at the service of the farmer to help him produce a better, more and more competitive product. Specifically, in the case of cotton, gaiasense has, according to field studies, documented evidence that it can reduce irrigation water use by up to 14% and plant protection input costs by up to 28%.

At the same time, it helps to reduce the electricity consumed for irrigation by 25%, while at the same time it can give a total benefit of +30% to production.

Intelligent agriculture in the prefecture of Rhodope

In the context of informing about the advantages of smart farming on cotton cultivation, NEUROPUBLIC’s gaiasense system prepared a series of informative videos especially for the region of Rhodope. Besides, the implementation of smart farming and this system in the region is already five years old, while 9 agro-meteorological stations are currently installed covering 1,320 hectares of arable land.

The aim of the videos is to show how smart farming can help cotton farmers make better decisions about their crops and to familiarise them with gaiasense technology.

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For many, the heavy snowfall at the end of January was an idyllic break from everyday life. For others, an inconvenience without end. For farmers, however, the ” Elpida ” weather was another reminder that proper preparation saves… crops.

Despite adverse conditions across almost the entire country, there were some who received timely information and took action to protect their crops. Specifically, NEUROPUBLIC’s gaiasense smart farming system had informed its partner producers about the weather through personalized alerts (SMS). In fact, the alerts from the system were made on a daily basis so that farmers could have continuous precision forecasting and be able to act accordingly.

Notifications that make a difference

With smart farming, “approximate” weather information is a thing of the past. This is because in the case of the innovative gaiasense system developed by the Greek company NEUROPUBLIC, specialized meteorological data is provided. What does this mean in reality? Gaiasense gives a three-day weather forecast, specifically for the area where each farm is located and not generally for the whole prefecture. And the data it provides is accurate and real-time, so the farmer has an almost “live” picture of the weather conditions in his field without having to monitor different websites or weather reports to see roughly what the weather will be like the next day.

In addition, gaiasense warns of extreme weather events such as hail, frost, heavy rainfall, heatwave, etc. 48 hours before they happen. Even if this probability is in the order of 10%, the system sends an SMS alert with the probable time of occurrence of the event. This gives the farmer time to take appropriate measures to protect his crop.

The science behind the weather

We asked atmospheric physicist-meteorologist Dr. Konstantinos Tsarpalis to explain how accurate the forecasts received from gaiasense are and why a farmer should choose it over the competition.

“The gaiasense system’s forecasts are highly accurate as they are performed at high spatial resolutions, unlike inferior spatial resolution forecasts that are freely available on the internet. Also, the forecasts are probabilistic, i.e. multiple scenarios are run in order to derive the probability of any given severe/extreme weather event occurring. Finally, data from the agro-meteorological stations of gaiasense are also used (which is extremely important), so that the forecast is more responsive to the needs of the producers. For example, frosts, which are particularly damaging to crops, are much better predicted compared to other forecasts freely available on the internet,” he explains.

As for how gaiasense can provide such detailed and accurate forecasts, the answer is simple. The gaiasense system has the most extensive network of agro-meteorological stations in rural areas of the country, with more than 300 stations and a forecast to increase significantly in the coming period. Moreover, in addition to the data from the stations, gaiasense also utilizes satellite data so that the weather forecasting models provide farmers with highly accurate forecasts.

Forecasts that take into account both the microclimate of each region and the needs of each crop. Thus, with the ally of smart farming and, in particular, gaiasense, the farmer has peace of mind and weather forecasting ceases to be a chore.

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How the eruption of a volcano in the South Pacific created changes in the atmospheric pressure of Greece.

According to the butterfly effect first formulated by meteorologist Edward Lorenz, “if a butterfly moves its wings in the Amazon, it can bring rain to China.” A finding that was in the news again a few days ago, after the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Hapai submarine volcano, located almost 65 kilometres from the capital of Tonga, Nukuwalofa. This is because the eruption in question, although on the south side of the Pacific, has come to affect the atmospheric pressure of our country!

In fact, the phenomenon was also detected by several agrometeorological stations of the NEUROPUBLIC gaiasense smart farming system, from Crete to Pieria and Komotini. Specifically, the shock wave from the explosion that took place on 14 January, moving at a speed of about 1,300 km per hour, “arrived” in Greece on Saturday 15 January, when the measurement was taken.

According to atmospheric physicist-meteorologist Dr. Konstantinos Tsarpalis, “the meteorological stations of various agencies, as well as the agrometeorological stations of gaiasense, recorded on Saturday 15 January in the evening a sharp change in atmospheric pressure – which levelled off in a few hours – which is exactly the footprint of the shock wave. Because of the intensity of the explosion, the pressure change was carried thousands of kilometres away.”

What does this phenomenon actually mean? Dr. Tsarpalis is reassuring. “There were some clouds in Greece, but nothing significant,” he notes.

High technology at the service of everyday life

The recording of a volcanic eruption on the other side of the planet proves that in the age of high technology and digitalization, our world is more “connected” than ever before. And phenomena that would once have gone unnoticed are now captured with extraordinary precision.

What does this mean for our daily lives and how can we benefit from similar measurements? If the recording of such phenomena by stations such as those of the gaiasense system teaches us anything, it is that today many events can be predicted – from the tidal wave following an earthquake or the eruption of a volcano to extreme weather events that can have a major impact on agricultural production.

And while the slightest change in atmospheric pressure may not have an impact on the Greek farmer, expert weather forecasting is vital. In short, evolution and, in particular, smart farming can be a comparative advantage for a producer and can make the difference between a smaller harvest and a lost crop.

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Coordinated by Dr Panagiotis Kalaitzis, Director of the Department of Agricultural Genetics and Biotechnology of MAICH, this hybrid event was part of the LIVINGAGRO – Cross Border Living Laboratories for Agroforestry project funded by the ENI CBC Med Programme 2014-2020.

More than 130 people registered for this second LIVINGAGRO B2B event, with the majority participating online.

The speakers presented 19 innovations related to 5 main categories:

1. Re-Using Traditional Practices in Agroforestry
2. Intercropping and Preparing for Climate Change in Olive Groves
3. Precision Agriculture
4. Olive Mill Machinery and Health Benefits
5. Olive Tree and Olive Oil Authentication

NEUROPUBLIC’s smart farming gaiasense system and the European LIFE GAIA Sense project based on gaiasense and coordinated by NEUROPUBLIC were presented at the event by Vassilis Pyrgiotis, Senior Project Manager of NEUROPUBLIC.

Mr. Pyrgiotis, who was physically present at the event, presented the innovative gaiasense smart farming system and discussed its applications in the olive cultivation sector in Greece and abroad with participants of the event, while he also answered questions from the participants. He also had the opportunity to talk to stakeholders about gaiasense in the context of meetings.

The descriptions of the 19 innovations are available in the List of Innovations available in Greek and English.

You can find more information on the gaiasense Smart Farming system on pages 29 and 26 respectively.

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At the same time, the newly established brand uses plants from organic farming and applies innovative practices that preserve the soil and protect the environment, people and animals, with minimal use of fertilizers and zero use of chemical pesticides.

The pioneering Greek company’s ally is NEUROPUBLIC’s holistic gaiasense smart farming system, which helps it reduce the use of pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation water, effectively address the risks that threaten crops, improve production both quantitatively and qualitatively, and reduce environmental impacts.

In short, gaiasense ensures that biodiversity is stimulated and, at the same time, the environmental and climate footprint of its Symbeeosis signature products is reduced.

Want to know more about this interesting “symbiosis”? It’s worth reading the related article in Ypethros Hora.

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The event was attended by the Commercial Director of NEUROPUBLIC George Papadimas, the company’s agronomists Minas Pelekanos and Andreas Siregelas as well as Dr. Mohamed Darausse, Head of the National Centre for Quality Control, Cotton Classification and Standardization

During the event, a detailed presentation of the gaiasense smart farming system was given, with reference to the 4 different data sources and the role of the data and scientific models in providing an accurate advice on irrigation, fertilization and plant protection for each crop supported by gaiasense.

Of particular interest was the presentation of the application of gaiasense in a cotton crop in the region of Karditsa, with the presentation of the methodology for recording and collecting data from the region that are used to provide advice on irrigation, fertilization and plant protection of the crop, as well as for the early warning of the cooperating producer both for extreme weather events and for the detailed weather forecast for each field.

Participants also had the opportunity to learn about the gaiasense mobile app, gaiasense’s application for smart phones, and the information they can receive through the app.

The event concluded with a discussion among the participants, during which questions from the audience were answered, more information about gaiasense was provided, and the gaiasense2 and gaiasense3 packages were mentioned.

You can watch the video of the event here.

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The gaiasense mobile app is an advanced, yet simple to use application, which can be used even by a farmer who has no familiarity with the latest technologies. In particular, the app allows one to obtain highly relevant information about one’s farm in a simple and understandable way, helping the producer to improve production both quantitatively and qualitatively, reduce environmental impact and, ultimately, create additional value in his agricultural products.

The agronomist of NEUROPUBLIC, Minas Pelekanos, in collaboration with members of the Heraklion Union, the Head of Subsidies Mr. Filippakis, the agronomists Mr. Damianakis and Mr. Foukarakis, as well as the local agronomist of the Agricultural Cooperative of Kato Asiton Mr. Kabitaki, were there to present the application, to talk to the attendees and to answer the questions of the producers.

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