EMS Tromp Award for outstanding achievement in biometeorology 2025

The recipient of the EMS Tromp Award for outstanding achievement in biometeorology 2025 is Dr Georgios Nikolaou of the Department of Agriculture in Cyprus for his publication on “Design of TETHYS: a greenhouse plant-smart water harvesting and air-cleaning system”, published in July 2024 in the Springer journal Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration, DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-024-00586-0

The award will be presented at the Awards session on Monday, 8 September 2025. Dr Georgios Nikolaou will present his awarded paper on Thursday, 11 September at the OSA2.2 session on Forests, Agriculture, and Climates.

About Dr Georgios Nikolaou

Dr. Georgios Nikolaou has been working at the Land and Water Use Section, of the Department of Agriculture in Cyprus since 2005. He has a keen interest in irrigation water management and greenhouse technologies. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of Thessaly in the Laboratory of Agricultural Constructions and Environmental Control, where he remains affiliated.

Georgios Nikolaou, 2025 recipient of the EMS Tromp Award for an outstanding achievement in biometeorology (photo private)“I am truly honoured to receive the EMS Tromp Award for outstanding achievement in biometeorology and to have the opportunity to present and discuss my work at the 2025 EMS Annual Meeting,” said Nikolaou. He looks forward to interacting with fellow professionals, sharing ideas, and learning from innovative approaches in agriculture and water management.

Incentive for his research

Greenhouses in the Mediterranean are often concentrated in relatively small agricultural areas, which are frequently associated with environmental pollution problems. The United Nations agenda for adaptation to climate change and sustainable development promotes circular economy principles and zero pollution. Considering this, greenhouse cultivation in the Mediterranean region faces unique challenges. Greenhouses are also considered a mitigation measure to combat climate change and as a sustainable production system. However, energy use for cooling and irrigation represents one of the main sources of energy consumption. The challenge in Mediterranean greenhouses is to increase energy and water efficiency sustainably under current environmental conditions. This can be achieved through the introduction of novel technologies, the incorporation of renewable energy sources, and the development of smart energy management algorithms.

Tethys Project

Photo of an indoor greenhouse with cucumber-crop (photo G. Nikolaou)
Photo of an indoor greenhouse with cucumber-crop (photo G. Nikolaou)

The name “Tethys“ is inspired by Greek mythology, where Tethys was the Titan goddess of the primal source of fresh water. The project was published in 2024 in the Euro-Mediterranean Journal for Environmental Integration. The objective was to develop a multiscale greenhouse model based on the speaking plant approach and to propose a plant smart water harvesting system using a desiccant wheel and air cleaning system aimed at minimizing the outflow of airborne chemical pollutants from Mediterranean-type greenhouses. Tethys is expected to have a significant impact in locations where the supply of low-cost heat or electricity is particularly expensive and in water-scarce regions. Considering its advantages over programmable greenhouse climate time-based controller devices, it is a powerful green tool for greenhouses.

Acknowledgments

Finally, he would like to take this opportunity to thank his advisor, Professor Constantinos Kittas of the University of Thessaly, a leading expert in agricultural constructions and greenhouse environments. His guidance was truly catalytic in shaping my understanding of greenhouse climate dynamics, and his mentorship has played a key role in my professional development.

Selected Papers Published in a Peer Reviewed Scientific Journal

  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Katsoulas, N.; Kittas, C. Effect of Irrigation Frequency on Growth and Production of a Cucumber Crop under Soilless Culture. Emirates J. Food Agric. 2017, 29 (11), 863–871. https://doi.org/10.9755/ejfa.2017.v29.i11.1496.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Katsoulas, N.; Kittas, C. Modelling Transpiration of Soilless Greenhouse Cucumber and Its Relationship with Leaf Temperature in a Mediterranean Climate. Emirates J. Food Agric. 2017, 29 (12), 911–920.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Katsoulas, N.; Kittas, C. Dynamic Assessment of Whitewash Shading and Evaporative Cooling on the Greenhouse Microclimate and Cucumber Growth in a Mediterranean Climate. Ital. J. Agrometeorol. 2018, (2), 15–26. https://doi.org/10.19199/2018.2.2038-5625.015.
  • Neocleous, D.; Nikolaou, G. Antioxidant Seasonal Changes in Soilless Greenhouse Sweet Peppers. Agronomy 2019, 9 (11). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9110730.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Katsoulas, N.; Kittas, C. Irrigation of Greenhouse Crops. Horticulturae 2019, 5 (1). https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae5010007.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Katsoulas, N.; Kittas, C. Effects of Cooling Systems on Greenhouse Microclimate and Cucumber Growth under Mediterranean Climatic Conditions. Agronomy 2019, 9 (6). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9060300.
  • Nikolaou, G, Damianos, N, Christofi, C, Heracleous, T, Markou, M. Irrigation Groundwater Quality Characteristics : A Case Study of Cyprus. Atmosphere (Basel). 2020, 11, 302; d.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Kitta, E.; Katsoulas, N. Estimation of Aerodynamic and Canopy Resistances in a Mediterranean Greenhouse Based on Instantaneous Leaf Temperature Measurements. Agronomy 2020, 10 (12). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10121985.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Christou, A.; Kitta, E.; Katsoulas, N. Implementing Sustainable Irrigation in Water-Scarce Regions under the Impact of Climate Change. Agronomy 2020, 10 (8), 1–33. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10081120.
  • Damianos Neocleous, Georgios Nikolaou, Georgia Ntatsi and Dimitrios Savvas. Impact of Chelated or Inorganic Manganese and Zinc Applications in Closed Hydroponic Bean Crops on Growth, Yield, Photosynthesis, and Nutrient Uptake. Agronomy 2020, 10 (6). https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10060881.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Christou, A.; Polycarpou, P.; Kitta, E.; Katsoulas, N. Energy and Water Related Parameters in Tomato and Cucumber Greenhouse Crops in Semiarid Mediterranean Regions. A Review, Part I: Increasing Energy Efficiency. Horticulturae 2021, 7 (12). https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7120521.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Christou, A.; Polycarpou, P.; Kitta, E.; Katsoulas, N. Energy and Water Related Parameters in Tomato and Cucumber Greenhouse Crops in Semiarid Mediterranean Regions. A Review, Part II: Irrigation and Fertigation. Horticulturae 2021, 7 (12), 548. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae7120548.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Kitta, E.; Katsoulas, N. Assessment of the Priestley-Taylor Coefficient and a Modified Potential Evapotranspiration Model. Smart Agric. Technol. 2022, 3 (May 2022), 100075. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2022.100075.
  • Kypris, D.; Nikolaou, G.; Evangellides, E.; Neocleous, D. A Hydraulic Evapotranspiration Multisensor. 2022, Agric. Engine. 1164–1170.
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Evangelides, E.; Kitta, E. A Decision Support System for Irrigation Scheduling Using a Reduced-Size Pan. Agronomy2025, 15, 848. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040848
  • Nikolaou, G.; Neocleous, D.; Evangellides, E.; Kitta, E. Electronic atmometer: a sustainable irrigation management device. Euro-Mediterr J Environ Integr(2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41207-025-00855-6
  • Nikolaou, G., Neocleous, D., Manes, A. et al.IRIS: A Smart Irrigation Controller Based on Limited Climatic Data. Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett.(2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-025-01722-2
  • Kypris, D., Nikolaou, G. Evaporation Events Counter Apparatus for Particular Irrigation Systems. Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett.(2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-025-01702-6

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