Students and Professors from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena Visit Tomás Ferro Greenhouse for European E-SPFdigit Project

On April 25, 2025, students and professors from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) visited the greenhouse at the Tomás Ferro estate in Cartagena, Murcia (Spain) to observe a trial involving tomato plants. This trial is part of the E-SPFdigit project.

UPCT is represented in the project by professors María del Carmen Martínez-Ballesta, José Antonio Franco, Juan Fernández, Ángel Faz, Silvia Martínez, and José Alberto Acosta.

Students and Professors from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena Visit Tomás Ferro Greenhouse for European E-SPFdigit Project

Students and Professors from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena Visit Tomás Ferro Greenhouse for European E-SPFdigit Project - picture 2

The E-SPFdigit project is conducting a crucial study to assess stakeholder needs in soil monitoring across nine countries. The goal is to develop technology for safer and more sustainable food systems. Specifically, the project aims to create digital tools for real-time monitoring of soils and crops to detect contaminants like PFAS, pesticides, heavy metals, and nutrients at pilot sites in Greece and Spain.

At the Tomás Ferro greenhouse, UPCT is investigating the effects of heavy metals (cadmium, arsenic, and lead) on different lines of tomato plants: one commercial line and two hybrid lines derived from crosses between cultivated and wild tomato varieties. These hybrids were selected for their different tolerances to water and nutrient deficiency stress—one is tolerant while the other is sensitive. These two hybrid tomato lines are part of research under the RUETOM and DARkWIN projects, which are funded by Spain’s NextGeneration program and the European Horizon Europe program, respectively. This research represents a collaboration between CEBAS-CSIC and UPCT.

Additionally, images depicting visible symptoms caused by heavy metals in the various tomato lines will be used to create data models driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning. In conjunction with advanced sensors, these models will help determine soil contamination levels and predict the susceptibility of new varieties to different concentrations of heavy metals. Moreover, the research will examine metal translocation to the fruit and explore the potential for developing grafting rootstocks from these varieties to reduce metal transfer to the fruit.

Thus, the visit of students and professors from the Polytechnic University of Cartagena (UPCT) to the greenhouse at the Tomás Ferro estate in Cartagena, Murcia (Spain) demonstrated E-SPFdigit’s commitment not only to developing digital tools for soil monitoring but also to significantly contributing to knowledge development and dissemination.