Ιnfrastructure

 

LRD’s R&D activities are supported by the lab for physico-chemical tests of soil - water - plant tissues and the lab for soil physical properties. In addition, LRD is equipped with a large number of instruments and devices for field measurements. Its equipment is enriched and renewed regularly, and is used for qualitative and quantitative determinations and measurements of physico-chemical parameters of surface water and groundwater, soils, plants and the atmosphere. Furthermore, state-of-the-art scientific software is utilised to simulate water flow and contaminant transport in rivers, lakes, aquifers and the unsaturated soil zone (vadose zone).

Physico-chemical analyses laboratory

LRD operates a fully equipped laboratory for physic-chemical analyses in soil, water, plant tissues and other organic or inorganic materials that are used for soil amelioration (compost, sewage sludge, gypsum etc.).

The laboratory is accredited after ELOT EN ISO/IEC 17025

The interpretation of laboratory results leads to:

  • fertilisation consultancy based on the determination of available soil nutrients and the crop type, aided by dedicated specialised software
  • determination of required soil amendments for degraded soils
  • irrigation water quality evaluation
  • assessment of chemical status of soil and water resources for protection, restoration and sustainable management

The parameters measured in the laboratory are:

 Soil

  • pH
  • Electrical Conductivity and Salinity
  • Organic Matter %
  • Exchangeable and Water Soluble (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+)
  • POlsen
  • Equivalent and Active CaCO3
  • Total N
  • Available Ν-ΝΟ3and Ν-ΝH4+
  • CEC Cation Exchange Ability
  • Trace Elements (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, B)

 

 

  • Heavy Metals (Cr, Ni, Pb, Cd, As, Hg)
  • Determination of SAR and ESP
  • Αnalysis Evaluation
  • Determination of Nutrient Deficiency with Special Software
  • Determination of Required Addition of Additives in Problem Soils 
 
   

 

     

IMG 7923 min

 


 IMG 7623 min    

Water

  • pH
  • Conductivity
  • BOD5, COD
  • Major Ions (K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, CO32-, HCO3-,CI-,SO42-, Fe2+)
  • Nitrogen Compounds (NO3-, NO2-, NH4+)
  • Orthoposphates
  • Trace Elements (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn, B)
  • Heavy Metals (Cr, Ni, Pb, Cd, Ag, Ba, Sb, As, Hg, V, TI, AI, Si, Se, Sr)
  • Total Phenols
  • Determination of SAR
  • Turbidity
  • Suspended Solids
  • Irrigation Water Evaluation
   

 


 

             

 Plant tissues

             
  • Macro elements (Ν, Ρ, Κ, Ca, Mg)
  • Trace elements (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, B)

 

 IMG 7909 min

 

 

Soil physical properties laboratory

LRD operates a separate laboratory for the determination of soil physical properties. The parameters determined are:

  • Soil Texture
  • Soil Bulk Density
  • Soil Moisture
  • Soil Characteristic Curve
  • Field Capacity
  • Permanent Wilting Point
  • Available Moisture
  • Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity

The determination of soil parameters allows to:

  • calculate irrigation doses and in particular to implement scientific irrigation scheduling based on the available water capacity
  • study and apply deficit irrigation
  • compile appropriate fertilisation schemes
  • assess potential impacts on soil resources due to application of impaired quality water
  • assess soil status and propose appropriate actions for its physical properties restoration

 

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Equipment and Software

 

 Soil and crops    Scientific software for water resources simulation and management
  • Soil moisture measurement device, point or soil profile measurements, single or continuous (logging)

  • Non-invasive, large scale soil electrical conductivity surveyor

  • Leaf area index (LAI) measurement

  • Plant juice flow measurement

  • Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples collection devices

  • In-situ soil hydraulic conductivity measurement devices

  • Soil infiltration measurement devices

  • Unsaturated zone leachates collection and measurement arrays

 
  • Hydrological models: SWAT, MIKE SHE, mGROWA

  • Hydraulic/hydrologic river modelling: MIKE 11

  • Groundwater simulation models (saturated-unsaturated flow): MODFLOW-MT3D, FEFLOW, SEAWAT

  • Modelling in unsaturated soil zone: HYDRUS-1D

  • Water resources management model: MIKE BASIN

  • Hydro-geochemical analysis software: AQUACHEM

  • Hydro-geochemical modelling: GWB, PHREEQC

 

 

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 Surface and ground water   Other equipment
  • Instruments for measuring flow velocity - discharge in open-channels/rivers. Various types and sizes of propeller current meters, electromagnetic flow meter, acoustic doppler devices for measuring and recording vertical or horizontal velocity profiles, radar doppler.

  • Conventional (tape, wire) depth to water level measurement equipment (for wells)

  • Pressure transducers for water level logging

  • Deep well thermometers

  • Bailer water samplers

 
  • Meteorological stations

  • Non-invasive flow measurements in pressurized networks using Transit-time και Doppler technology

  • High-precision positioning devices (GPS-RTK), comprehensive set of handheld GPS devices

  • Off-road vehicles

  • Agricultural tractor with accessories

  • Lysimeters. In house installed series of lysimeters (draining lysimeters, lysimeters with controllable water level, hydraulic-weighing lysimeter)

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