RAMAT NEGEV DESERT AGRO-RESEARCH CENTER
Lat. 31 05' 00" Long. 34 41' 03"
Alt. 305 m.
Ave. rainfall: 90 mm/yr.
M.P. Chaluza, 85515 IL
E mail: agr_exp@netvision.net.il
Contact persons:
Yaacov Moscowitz
Yoel De Malach
Zion shemer
The center, in operation since 1981, is situated in the desert, near wadi haBesor, 30 km south of
Beersheva, Israel. The site was specifically chosen at a point where two different types of soil verge: light
loess (i.e. eolian sandy loam, the clay is 6 - 8%; the pH about 7.2 - 7.4 up to almost 8) and sand, which is
derived from coastal sand dunes originating from the Nile (1%-5% clay; pH 7.8 - 8.2).
The average rainfall at the station is 90 mm/yr.
The center is supplied with water of two different qualities:
- Fresh water conveyed via Israel's National Water Carrier
from the Sea of Galilee to the Negev (salinity: EC = 1.2
DS/m, 250 mg CI¯1).
- Brackish water from seven local wells (water level 300 m below surface, salinity: EC = 4 - 7 dS/m 1,600
mg CI¯1).
- Mixing the two waters or adding brine allows to obtain any salinity level needed for the experiments.
- Seven wells were recently drilled to fulfill the increasing demand. An eightieth well is programmed for
the next future.
The water gushes up at a temperature of 38 C (100 F).
The Ramat Negev Regional Council administrates the center, but the experiments are done not only by
local researchers but together with other scientists from Ben Gurion University, the Faculty of Agriculture
of the Hebrew University, the Volcani Institute and more. Advisers of the Israeli Extension Service are
also part of the research staff.
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The aim is to provide after literature searches, answers to the immediate needs of the local farmers,
when necessary, through experimentation. Coordinately the intention is to apply the technology
developed, and transfer the knowledge gained to any place especially developing countries, facing
similar agricultural problems.
The brackish water irrigation and its effect on the products' quality are the largest research project of the
Center.
Other projects: use of geothermal waters, utilization of the sand dunes common in the region and animal
husbandry ( milk cows, fish, shrimps, ostriches, cattle, goats etc.)
Research
Specifically, research and development activities focus on the following:
Greenhouse vegetables: The geothermal energy is used in protected agriculture to heat plastic
houses. The vegetables are grown using brackish water to improve their quality and geothermal hot
water for heating in winter.
The prototype of an innovative type of green houses heated by solar energy is in its second year of
experimentation. The desert sun in winter contributes to the success.
Open field vegetables: The resistance to salinity of different varieties of more then 25 crops was
tested. Melons on sandy soils and tomatoes in greenhouses are presently grown on a large scale and
peppers are under study. A clear improvement in quality of many fruits was detected, especially in sugar
content, taste and shelf life.
A project to grow strawberry nurseries free of Colletetrichum, a common disease in northern and central
Israel, was developed on a large scale. We are on the way to try to improve also strawberries’ taste by
saline irrigation.
Flowers and ornamentals: Growing flowers, flower bulbs with fresh, brackish and hot water under
plastic cover especially in winter is also under study.
Fruits: Many different orchard species were tested for salinity resistance: olives, pears, almonds,
grapes, pomegranates, jujube, argania nuts, etc. Nowadays grapes for wine production are under study
at the center and near Sdeh Boker.
Following the success commercial olive orchards are planted on hundreds of acres all over our region.
Ben Gurion University is testing some foreign fruit trees, with the aim of developing new crops suitable for
Israel's growing conditions and for the tastes of the local and European market.
-3Forage: Many different forage plants resistant to salinity were selected and some of them
definitely improved milk production of local cows. A project for raising meat cattle was started.
Animal husbandry: Fish, ostriches, shrimps, goats and sheep are raised and constantly supervised by the
center experts and advisers. More dairies are brought to our region from Central Israel to exploit the
climate that was found extremely beneficial to the animals.
Methods
Various approaches are used at the station to overcome the salinity stresses.
- Physiologists study the period of maximum susceptibility of the plants to alleviate their suffering:
small amounts of fresh water are given at the most sensitive moment.
The influence of nutrients and micro-elements on the quality of the products is under study.
- Pedologists monitor the way of leaching soils from accumulated salinity and study optimal
quantities and proper intervals of irrigation.
- Plant nutrition: Another approach is to study how to alleviate the salinity stress by different,
more apt fertilizers’ quantities and qualities. There is continuous monitoring and adjustment and the
system adds the proper amount of fertilizer.
- Geneticists. Develop cultivars resistant to saline irrigation and fit to the American and the
European taste, crossing superior varieties with resistant genotypes from different saline environments
- Irrigation systems. Drip irrigation is the breakthrough that allows cultivation of crops also with
brackish and saline water. It ensures a continuous flow into the soil that maintains a proper constant
dilution of the soil solution.
It allows frequent irrigation to keep the salts concentration of the soil solution constantly low.
- Technical approaches are most important. Computers for irrigation of the type suitable for small
farmers are used. Solar energy is used to recharge their batteries, so that a supply of electricity in the
field is not needed.
One main line supplies fresh water and the other saline water.
-4The task of the computer is to control the timing of irrigation, the type of water used, the quality
and quantity of fertilizers mixed with the water (fertigation) and the temperature in the greenhouses. In
order to achieve a higher salt concentration brine can be introduced into the fertilizer reservoir. A
computer for mixing saline and fresh water to maintain constant desired levels of salinity was also
developed. A sophisticated system for a rapid selection of the salinity resistance of rootstocks and other
plants using drip irrigation was developed.
Aquaculture.
A sophisticated method for super-intensive fish cultivation using warm water,
plastic covered ponds and an organic filter to clean the recycled water was developed.
Results
Saline water irrigation almost always requires the drip method.
Irrigating up to 6 times a day in sandy soils resulted in high yields of many crops without increasing the
water total amount even on sandy soils, where proper aeration is assured. Leaching is required from time
to time. Local conditions and proper management allow easy leaching of salts, if necessary. No pluriannual accumulation was detected.
It was found that using fresh water only during short periods of the plant being sensitive to salinity (and
brackish water at other times) is a better approach than mixing water of different qualities to apply a
constant lower salt concentration during the entire season.
In general, saline irrigation results in a lower fresh weight yield than that of a fresh water irrigation but the
difference in the dry weight yield is much smaller. For example, sugar beets irrigated with saline water
produce less tonnage but almost the same quality of pulp as those irrigated with fresh water. This means
that there is less work in harvesting, transporting and processing. Canneries pay the farmers according to
the dry matter content, not according to the fresh weight.
We may say that the most important achievement of our research was the organoleptic amelioration of
our products following the brackish irrigation: tomatoes, melons, olives, pears, wine-grapes, etc. The
Desert sweet tomatoes and melons are now known in many foreign countries.
The results of the studies at the center are currently being used by Negev, Israel and several other
countries' farmers.
An increasing interest about the work and about the results obtained at our center is expanding all over
the world.
The Ramat Negev Regional Council has recently started the process of
setting up an international center for studying desert agriculture.
The purpose of the center: training students in advanced agricultural work in desert
areas using brackish or marginal water.
This center will absorb students from various countries, who will combine
practical work at one of the local farms or at the Experimental Center,
along with their studies in the learning center.
This center will work in complete cooperation with the academic institutions or
colleges from their home countries, and the students’ practical work will be
considered as part of their final project at their home college or university.
The main goal of the center is actually to train students from various countries
in which agriculture is not developed, and these students, after training,
will be able to provide guidance to the farmers in their home countries.