To strengthen international academic exchange and research collaboration in the field of smart facility horticulture, from June 22 to 27, 2025, researchers from the Intelligent Equipment Technology Research Center of the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences—Researcher Wei Xiaoming, Dr. Sun Weituo, and Dr. Wang Lichun—traveled to Spain to attend the International Symposium on Advanced Technologies and Management for Sustainable Greenhouse Systems (GreenSys2025). The symposium was organized by the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS) and hosted by the University of Almería, Spain.
GreenSys2025 brought together numerous experts and scholars from countries and regions including the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, and China. The conference facilitated in-depth discussions on core topics and cutting-edge trends in protected horticulture, such as greenhouse environmental control, mechanization, digitalization, sensing, and robotics, high-efficiency production of greenhouse horticultural crops, water-fertilizer management and growth substrates, light physiology and regulation in protected horticulture, sustainable greenhouse systems.
Research Wei Xiaoming delivered a speech titled "Current Status and Future Trends of Smart Greenhouse Horticulture in China," providing a comprehensive overview of China's protected horticulture industry landscape, future directions, and the center’s advancements in AI-driven hardware and software for production management. Dr. Sun Weituo presented "A Full-Scale Environmental Model for Chinese Solar Greenhouses," detailing the modeling methodology and performance, while exploring collaborative research opportunities with Wageningen University on hybrid mechanistic-data-driven modeling and control. Dr. Wang Lichun shared findings on "Comparative Analysis of Tomato Growth, Yield, Quality, and Economic Benefits Under Three Cultivation Modes," highlighting the team’s research on soilless cultivation nutrient management technologies and equipment. He also held extensive discussions with researchers from the University of Almería on decision-model development and application for water-fertilizer optimization in soilless systems. Additionally, Dr. Liu Mei and Dr. Wang Hui from Institute of Plant Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences.
During the conference recess, the delegation, accompanied by Prof. Jorge Antonio Schanze Molina from the University of Almería, visited the university’s experimental greenhouses, robotics lab, environmental control systems, and water-fertilizer management equipment. They engaged in in-depth discussions on advanced greenhouse construction and management practices in the Almería region, providing valuable technical insights for China’s national key R&D project, "Development and Application of Industrialized Horticultural Production Technology and Equipment Systems for Gobi Desert Environments".
