Why water and soil should be managed as one integrated system
Olive is considered drought-tolerant, yet the Mediterranean climate is changing so quickly that old “safe” practices are no longer sufficient. More frequent and intense heatwaves, longer dry spells, sudden cloudbursts, and rising irrigation salinity create a new risk landscape. In this context, the goal is not merely to irrigate less, but to irrigate smartly and to “build” a soil that stores, filters, and releases water. Real value emerges when water and soil are not treated as separate chapters but as a single, data-driven decision system applied in the field in a timely manner.
The logic originates from the continuous and unified system of interactions among soil, plant, and atmosphere (soil–plant–atmosphere).
The tree “demands” water according to atmospheric conditions and its physiology, while the soil “supplies” water according to its structure, organic matter, depth, texture, and salinity. When irrigation decisions are taken with real knowledge of how the soil filters, stores, and releases water, the orchard becomes both more productive and resilient.
The backbone of smart irrigation: Sensing, modeling, and automation
Smart irrigation relies on a simple but powerful loop: measurement, decision, action, verification. It relies on weather stations, and soil-moisture and electrical-conductivity sensors installed at representative depths. It computes evapotranspiration accurately, adjusts crop coefficients by phenological stage, and shows the actual status of the root zone and its salt load, thereby translating the daily water deficit into irrigation dose and timing. By forecasting extreme weather events, it also proposes or executes irrigation automatically. Automation ensures precise implementation of decisions through valves per zone, stable pressures, and fine-tuned run-times. The outcome is fewer saturation episodes, less runoff and deep percolation, and steadier tree physiology during the critical periods of flowering and fruit set.
Soil management that multiplies irrigation efficiency
Soil management provides essential “breathing room” for the irrigation strategy. Organic matter from composted prunings, stabilized manures, or biochar increases aggregate stability and plant-available water while reducing temperature spikes in the root zone. Permanent or seasonal cover crops, especially legume–grass mixes, reduce erosion on slopes, improve infiltration during intense autumn and spring rains, and supports soil nutrient cycling. Combined with gentle, shallow tillage and proper maintenance of terraces, the result is a “sponge” that stores the meager winter rains and releases them slowly in spring and summer. Practically, this means each irrigation cycle rests on soil that holds more root-available water, allowing schedules to become less frequent, smaller, and more efficient.
Where the water–soil integration becomes most evident is in regulated deficit irrigation. Olive does not need the same water intensity throughout the season. The period before and just after fruit set is sensitive, whereas the pit-hardening phase tolerates controlled water stress without yield loss. When the decision-support system knows what is happening in the soil and what will happen in the atmosphere, it can trim irrigation doses at tolerant stages and restore them when a heatwave is approaching. Such adjustments only make sense if the soil is ready to support them—that is, if it has good structure and organic carbon so that controlled irrigation doses get distributed evenly and are not lost. The “smart” decision on the screen has value only when the field can accept it.
Managing water quality and salinity
In many Greek and Mediterranean orchards the limiting factor is not only the water we apply but the water we have. In coastal and island areas, irrigation water can have increased electrical conductivity and sodium. Frequent, shallow irrigations with such water can accumulate salts in the upper zone of the root system and disperse clay particles, degrading the soil structure. Monitoring electrical conductivity in the water and in the root zone, connected to the same sensors that feed the irrigation program, allows risk management. Here too, sensing feeds decisions. Very small surface doses that accumulate salts are thus avoided and flushing strategies are planned during colder periods. Mixing water sources, where feasible, and preserving organic matter help maintain infiltration and good soil structure.
Measuring value: Agronomic and economic indicators
The value of an integrated approach becomes tangible when it is measured. Water productivity expressed as kilograms of fruit or liters of oil per cubic meter of irrigation, distribution uniformity of the drip network, yield variability between zones, and the trajectory of soil organic matter together form a concise scorecard. Recording these indicators in the same platform that schedules irrigation allows learning from season to season. This gives growers and agronomists the ability to judge each year by data rather than impressions. Gradually, a farm can move from “pure saving” to “optimization,” where less water and energy go hand-in-hand with more stable yields and improved quality. That stability is invaluable under climate volatility and is often accompanied by more predictable ripening and a better pulp to pit ratio, without sacrificing yields.
A practical case: Two zones in the same olive orchard
Consider an olive orchard split between a sandy-loam field and a clay-loam slope. Sensors at two or even three depths in each zone report soil moisture and electrical conductivity. The weather station measures conditions to calculate daily evapotranspiration. The platform recognizes that the sandy-loam zone drains quickly and warms early, so it prescribes smaller, more frequent irrigations, complemented by dense spring groundcover to shade the surface and curb soil-water evaporation. In the clay-loam zone, it uses lower instantaneous flow with longer run-times to overcome the soil’s hydraulic resistance, while organic-matter additions improve infiltration so that autumn storms “recharge” the soil instead of eroding it. When a three-day heatwave is forecast, the system executes a targeted (pre)irrigation only where sensors show marginal values and only at critical crop stages, avoiding waste. The outcome is not simply “less water,” but the right water, in the right place, at the right time, into a soil that can use it.
Implementation notes: Calibration, maintenance, and agronomy-in-the-loop
Success depends on doing the basics well. Sensors must be installed and calibrated at depths that match the active olive root zone and placed at representative locations for each management zone. The weather station must be correctly placed and maintained so that evapotranspiration is accurate and reliable. Clean filters and periodic checks of network pressure uniformity are necessary prerequisites for correctly realizing the decision system’s potential. Visual inspection of the crop, monitoring of shoot growth, and—where available—canopy/leaf temperature provide accuracy for validating the digital signals. The most effective systems keep the agronomist in the loop, combining automation with professional judgment rather than replacing it.
How SynField connects the dots
In this context, technology is not an end in itself but a means. The SynField platform by Synelixis unifies field hardware, algorithms, and remote control in an environment where the grower sees in real time what is happening and why. Weather stations, soil moisture and conductivity sensors, and valve controllers all “speak” the same language as the software. Irrigation recommendations are adjusted to the forecast and executed automatically by zone. For the grower, this means transparency and control. For the agronomist, it means evidence-based advisory work. For Synelixis, it means ag-tech that delivers tangible results in the field rather than only in demos.
Conclusion: Resilience by design
Ultimately, sustainable olive farming is a journey of continuous learning. It starts with mapping and basic soil analysis, continues with targeted installation of the irrigation network and sensors, passes through a first season of careful tuning, and matures into an annual improvement cycle where each year becomes slightly better than the last. The point is not to choose between smart irrigation or good soil. The point is to fuse them, so that water decisions make sense within a soil capable of utilizing them. When that happens, the orchard becomes steadier under weather changes, more efficient in water and energy, and more predictable in yield and quality. Then technology stops being just another cost and becomes the most reliable investment in the resilience of the olive grove to the climate.
Gina Athanasiou, MSc, MMus, MSc – Agronomist, Synelixis
