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Page 2: Agriculture 2011

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Head office: Hazera Genetics Ltd. Berurim M.P. Shikmim 79837, ISRAELTel: +972 8850 8815 • Fax: +972 8850 2442 Email: [email protected] • www.hazera.com

Where Science Complements Nature

Page 3: Agriculture 2011

Development of onion harvesting machineryI. Sagi , Y. Kashti , F. Geoola , Y. Grinshpon , L. Rozenfeld , A. Levi , R. Brikman1, O. Mishli , E. Margalit

Ocean Transport of the Easter Lily (Lilium Longiflorum): Defining the harvesting stage and treating the plant with gibberellins in order to minimize premature aging of leavesShimon Meir , Shoshana Salim , Batina Kochank , Tamar Tzedaka , Tamar Lahav and Sonia Philosof-Hadas Grafting for the use of root systems as biological filters to prevent penetration of contaminants into vegetable plants under irrigation with marginal waterM. Edelstein and M. Ben-Hur

Sprouting inhibition of postharvest potatoes by using environment friendly mint essential oil Dani Eshel , Paula Teper-Bamnolker , Roi Amitay and Harry Daniel The New Generation of Drippers Sagi Gidi, Metzerplas

Developing a high spatial and temporal resolution database for meteorological-based agronomical modelsOffer Beeri & Shay Mey-tal/ Agam Advanced Agronomy.

Company profiles

Company Detailes

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Page 4: Agriculture 2011

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Page 5: Agriculture 2011

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Page 6: Agriculture 2011

Agriculture 2011

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The Institute of Agricultural Engineering, together with Kibbutz Yotvata, “Ardom Growth” and local agricultural machinery manufacturers, including “Agromond Ltd.”, “Juran Ltd.”, “Green Arava Valley” and The Ilan Haruvi Workshop have developed a new set of machinery for onion harvesting and transporting. The new machinery includes a digger, a harvester and a container with a bottom rolled conveyor.

IntroductionIn Israel, farmers grow onions all over the country - from the Golan Heights to the “Arava” valley - over an area of about 2,000 acres. Most of the growing fields are small. The overall yield is about 100,000 tons and all of it is sold on the local market. In the past, most of the farmers harvested their yields by hand, which required many workers. The workers harvested the amount of onions required according to the daily market demand. The reasons for harvesting by hand were; high mechanical damages caused by the machines and the

need for a packing house. Due to the lack of laborers in agricultural work, about 10 years ago, the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture encouraged farmers to import machinery for harvesting onions. A research team from the Institute of Agricultural Engineering was chosen to be responsible for testing the machines and making the necessary modifications in order to adapt them to local onion growth conditions. The project was financed by the chife scientist of the Ministry of Agriculturel. A set of onion harvesting machinery was imported by Kibbutz Yotveta in the Arava valley. The machinery included a mower for cutting the foliage before harvesting, a digger for digging the onions and preparing a windrow on the ground for curing and a harvester for harvesting the onions into a container driven along the side of the harvester. The machinery was used to test the harvesting of different onion species in various areas around the country. In general, the test results were very poor. The mower worked fine but the digger and the harvester needed modifications of high cost in order to improve the harvesting and to lower the rate of mechanical

2 4 5

Development of Onion Harvesting Machinery

I. Sagi1, Y. Kashti1, F. Geoola1, Y. Grinshpon1, L. Rozenfeld1, A. Levi1, R. Brikman1, O. Mishli2, E. Margalit3

1. Institute of Agricultural Engineering, ARO.2. Kibbutz Yotvata3. Agricultural Extension Services.

Fig. 1. The digger digs and prepares a fresh onion windrow for curing.

Fig. 2. The harvester harvest dry onion and load a container.

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damage to the onion. The main conclusion was that the imported machinery is not suitable for Israeli harvesting conditions and there is a need to develop local onion harvesting machinery. The Israeli onions are grown on beds and harvested in two ways: 1. harvesting fresh onions; 2. harvesting dry onions. The fresh onions are harvested at the beginning of the season in two stages. After cutting the foliage, workers dig the onions by hand and put them on the ground for curing. About 3 days after they are collected, the onions are placed in boxes and sent to the local markets. The dry onions are collected directly from the ground, placed into boxes and sent to the markets.

Development of harvesting machineryAccording to the knowledge gained from the test results of the imported machinery and the study of the Israeli onion growth and harvesting conditions, a prototype digger and a harvester were designed and constructed. The digger (fig. 1) has a square and round bar digging system, a round bar conveyor mounted on the machine with two inclinations (15 degrees forward and 25 degrees backwards), above the front of the conveyor there is a rotor with 4 rubber wings, a digging depth automatic controller and a speed monitor to help the operator to adjust the conveyor speed to the tractor speed. The two inclines were designed to prevent onions from rolling at the front of the digger and to put them on the ground from behind at a low level. The rotor rubber wings help the onions climb onto the conveyor. The digger is operated by an 80hp field tractor using the 3 point linkage.The harvester (fig. 2) was designed for harvesting fresh

and dry onions. Therefore, it has the same digging system as that of the digger. The harvester has two conveyors. The first one is a round bar conveyor mounted at a 15 degree slope in order to prevent back rolling of the onions. Above the front of the conveyor there is a rotor with 4 rubber wings to help the onions climb onto it. The second conveyor is a loading conveyor with 3 segments for loading different height containers and for folding them during road driving. The loading conveyor is mounted perpendicular behind the first conveyor. The top end of the conveyor can be adjusted during work to the height level of the container bottom in order to prevent mechanical damages. The harvester has an automatic depth control system, a conveyor speed measuring and adjusting system and a width balance controller to keep the harvester parallel to the ground. The harvester is drawn by an 80hp tractor on two wheels with an automatic return steering system. The harvester has a self hydraulic system for operating the conveyors and other components. The driver controls the harvester systems from the tractor cabin by an electronic controller.

The digger was constructed by “Agromond Ltd.” and the harvester was constructed by “Juran Ltd.”. To date 3 diggers and 1 harvester have been constructed and are being operated by 4 Israeli onion growers.

Farmers that have onion packing houses collect and transport the onions in large hook lift containers. In the packing house the container is lifted and unloaded into a big hoper. This method of unloading causes the onions to fall and roll into the hoper from a high level, get damaged and lose their peels. In order to prevent unloading damages, a container with a bottom rolling conveyor was designed and constructed in cooperation with “Green Arava Valley”, “Ardom Growth” and The Ilan Haruvi Workshop (fig. 3).

There is no need to lift the container for unloading in the packing house. The driver puts the back door of the container above the hoper, opens the back door and connects the electrical motor to the rolling conveyor axle. From this moment the conveyors are rolled under control, the onions fall into the hoper from a low level and are not rolled. The system has been operated by “Kibbutz Yotvata” and “Ardom Growth” for the past 2 years. They reported that the amount of marketed onions has increased by 6% due to the reduction in mechanical damages.

[email protected]

8

Fig. 3. A hook lift container with a rolling bottom conveyor loaded with onions.

Page 8: Agriculture 2011

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Page 9: Agriculture 2011

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IntroductionEaster lily (Lilium Longiflorum) cut flowers are quite large and heavy. Therefore, it is most important to reduce their shipping costs by exporting them via sea freight rather than by air transport. According to financial analyses, sea transport in comparison to air transport (marketing and freight) amounted to a savings of 17,000 IS per dunam, which is very significant for the growers. As such, reliable methods for shipping lilies by sea transport should be developed.Flower auctions and dealers generally receive the lily

cut flowers before their florets start to open, when the first floret reaches its maximum closed bud size. This stage is also the recommended harvest stage when the flowers are transported by air. The recommendations for postharvest treatment developed in our laboratory included pulsing with preservatives containing 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate and surfactants (TOG-4, Merhav Agro Ltd., Ashdod, Israel), together with the gibberellin GA3 at a concentration of 25 ppm to delay leaf senescence and yellowing. We have shown that the GA3 pulsing treatment was very effective also in delaying leaf and flower senescence of various other lily cultivars, such as Longiflorum x Asiatic hybrid ‘Shira’ and Lilium candidum L.The present study describes the development of sea transport conditions for shipping Easter lily cut flowers cvs. ‘White Heaven’ and ‘Maggie Blanche’ bearing two or multiple florets per stem, as compared to their air transport. The study was focused on determination of the optimal harvest stage for the sea shipment.

Materials and MethodsChemicals: TOG-6 containing organic chlorine, TOG-4 containing 8-hydroxyquinoline citrate, the ‘Teabag’ formulation containing the gibberellin GA3 (all supplied by Merhav Agro Ltd., Ashdod, Israel).Pulsing treatments and shipment simulations: Lily flowers were harvested from the growers at various harvest stages (as detailed in Figures 1-4), sorted and bound into 5-stem bunches, and then brought in cartons to the laboratory at the Volcani Center. Immediately upon their arrival, the flowering stems were pulsed for 4 h at 20°C and additional 16 h at 2°C with the recommended

Sea Transport of Easter Lily* cut Flowers: Determination of the Optimal Harvest Stage

Shimon Meir1*, Shoshana Salim1*, Betina Kochanek1*, Tamar Tzadka1*, Tamar Lahav2* and Sonia Philosoph-Hadas1*

Figure 1: Definition of the opening and senescence stages of the lily florets cv. ‘White Heaven’ from stage 1 = closed, green floret of 7-9 cm length, through stage 8 = the senescence stage, in which the petals turn transparent, wilted and tend to drop. Stage 5 was defined as the opening stage, while stage 6 represents full opening. The transition from stage 5 to 6 lasts only few hours.

*(Lilium Longiflorum)

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treatment comprised of 0.2% TOG-4 + 25 ppm GA3. The flowers were then packed into commercial cartons and stored for air transport (2-3 days at 6°C) or sea transport (8 days at 2°C) simulations. After storage, the flowers were placed in vases containing TOG-6 as a preservative, and incubated in a controlled standard observation room (20°C, 60-70% relative humidity and 12-h photoperiod) to determine their longevity following the transport simulations.Determination of the harvest stage and floret quality parameters: The harvest stage was determined according to the floret size as detailed in Figure 2G, and according to the turning of the floret bud color from green to white (Figure 4G). Eight stages of development and senescence of the floret in the vase were defined, as presented in Figure 1 for the ‘White Heaven’ cultivar. The first, second and third florets were marked on the

flowering stem, and their developmental stages until senescence were followed-up during vase life. We have monitored the days to floret opening (stage 5 in Figure 1), and the days from floret opening to its senescence. The flowering stem was discarded when the second floret reached senescence stage 8, and the total vase life duration was determined accordingly. The quality parameters, including floret diameter and length, were monitored at full opening before senescence (stage 7 in Figure 1).

Results and DiscussionThe results of the experiments conducted with the ‘Maggie Blanche’ lily cultivar harvested at three different stages (Figure 2G), indicate that sea transport (Figure 2E) did not affect the number of days (6-7) during which the florets were open in the vase, in comparison to air transport (Figure 2B). Hence, the shipment method had no effect on the floret senescence rate after opening. The only difference between flowers transported either by air or by sea was obtained in the rate of opening of

Figure 2: Effect of the harvest stage of multi-floret stems of ‘Maggie Blanche’ lily following air (A, B, C) or sea (D, E, F) transport simulations, on days to flower opening of florets 1 and 2 (A, D), days from flower opening to death of floret 2 (B, E), and on total vase life duration determined when floret 2 reached senescence stage 8 (C, F). Flowers were harvested when their first floret reached the stages presented in Fig. 2G, and treated as described in Materials and Methods. The results represent means of 5 replicates ± SE. The red numbers in Fig. 2D indicate the difference in days to opening of florets 1 and 2 following sea and air transport.

Figure 3: Effect of the harvest stage of multi-floret stems of ‘Maggie Blanche’ lily on the diameter (A) and length (B) of florets 1-3 at full opening stage (stage 7) during vase life, following air transport simulation. The experiment was performed as detailed in Figure 2. The results represent means of 5 replicates ± SE.

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the first floret bud, which was shorter (by 1-1.5 days) following sea transport (Figure 2D) as compared with air transport (Figure 2A). Thus, the first floret, harvested at stages 3, 2 or 1, opened after 3, 5 or 8 days, respectively, following air transport (Figure 2A), and after 1.5, 3.5 or 7 days, respectively, following sea transport (Figure 2D). These results indicate that the floret bud continues to grow and to develop during the sea transport period, even though it is kept at 2°C.The total vase life duration monitored for flowering stems harvested when the first floret was at stage 3, was only one day shorter following sea transport (Figure 2F), as compared with flowers shipped by air (Figure 2C). This difference stems from the shorter time (one day) required for the opening of the second floret harvested at stage 3 and transported by sea (Figure 2D), as compared

to flowers transported by air (Figure 2A). Similar results were obtained in two additional experiments, performed with ‘Maggie Blanche’ flowers harvested from another grower, as well as with ‘White Heaven’ flowers bearing two florets per stem (data not shown).It should be noted that the floret size at full opening was affected from the harvest stage following air transport (Figure 3), and similar results were obtain also following sea transport (data not shown). When flowers were harvested with florets at stage 2 or 3, no difference was obtained in their diameter. However, florets harvested at stage 1 (even if it is the first floret), could not reach at full opening the diameter (Figure 3A) or the length (Figure 3B) of florets harvested at stages 2 or 3. Similar results were obtained also for the third floret in flowering stems harvested with the first floret at stages 2 or 3, as the size of the third floret in these flowers was smaller or similar to the size of a floret in stage 1. It is important to note that inclusion in the vase of the ‘cut flower food’ solution, which contains sugar and bacteriocides, resulted in a third floret with bigger size, similar to the sizes of the first and second florets (data not shown).Since the florets continue to grow during the sea transport shipment, we have determined an additional parameter to indicate the floret developmental stage at harvest, which was based on the change in bud color (Figure 4G), in addition to the bud length. To examine this parameter, we have performed an experiment with ‘Maggie Blanche’ flowers harvested according to floret size and color. The results show that no difference was obtained in the various quality parameters between flowering stems transported by air (Figures 4A-4C) or by sea (Figures 4D-4F), when harvested at stage 3 (Figure 4G).The presented findings indicate that cut Easter lily flowers can be shipped successfully by sea freight from Israel to The Netherland, without impairing their quality as compared to air transport, provided that the flowers are harvested at the optimal harvest stage and a cooling chain at 2°C is maintained during the pathway. Therefore, the recommended harvest stage for sea transport of Easter lily is the stage of initial puffing of the first floret, when it reaches a length of at least 11 cm and its color is still green, or has only just begun to turn white.

[email protected]

1*. Department of Postharvest Science of Fresh Produce, Agricultural Research Organization (ARO), The Volcani Center, Bet-Dagan, ISRAEL; 2*. Extension Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, ISRAELContribution No. 593/10 from the ARO, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel.

Figure 4: Effect of the harvest stage of two-floret stems of ‘White Heaven’ lily following air (A, B, C) or sea (D, E, F) transport simulations, on days to flower opening of florets 1 and 2 (A, D), days from flower opening to death of floret 2 (B, E), and on total vase life duration determined when floret 2 reached senescence stage 8 (C, F). Flowers were harvested when their first floret reached the stages presented in Fig. 4G. The experiment was performed as detailed in Figure 2. The results represent means of 5 replicates ± SE.

Page 13: Agriculture 2011

The Opt imal So lu t ions for Cut F lowers

.

[email protected]

Production and Technical advice:

Page 14: Agriculture 2011

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IntroductionA major part of the Mediterranean region is characterized by water scarcity, with long dry summers and short wet winters. To satisfy the demand for food and to combat desertification in this region, marginal water sources, such as treated domestic sewage (effluent) and saline water, are being increasingly used for irrigation (Ben-Hur, 2004). Moreover, the pressure to avoid disposal of nutrient-rich effluents into water bodies has contributed to the rapid expansion of effluent reuse for irrigation (Halliwell et al., 2001).

The electrical conductivity (EC) of saline water is much higher than that of fresh water, and it may exceed 5

dS/m when the dominant ions are Na and Cl. Similarly in effluents, the EC and pH values, and the concentrations of microelements such as heavy metals and B, and of nutrients and dissolved organic matter are, in general, significantly higher than in fresh water. Long-term use of these types of water for irrigation could increase the accumulation and concentrations of microelements and saline elements (Na, Ca, Mg, and Cl) in the soil (Ben-Hur, 2004; Feigin et al., 1991). Relatively high concentrations of Na+, Cl- and microelements in the soil solution could be toxic to plants and to humans. Absorption of these elements by the plants could affect their growth and yield, and increase the possibility of contaminants

M. Edelstein1 and M. Ben-Hur2

1.Department of Vegetable Crops, Agricultural Research Organization,Newe Ya’ar Research Center, P.O.Box 1021, Ramat Yishay 30095, Israel2. Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, P.O.Box 6, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel

Cucurbita Rootstocks as Biological Filters for Contaminants in Vegetable Plants Grown under Irrigation with Marginal Water

Fig. 1: Melon plant grafted onto pumpkin rootstock (left) and in the open field (right).

Fig 2: Microelement concentrations in fruits from grafted and non-grafted melon plants irrigated with secondary effluent water. Vertical bars represent ± SE (unpublished data).

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Agriculture 2011

entering the food supply chain.

Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about soil and water contamination and the use of toxic chemicals on agricultural land, because of the possible adverse effects on environmental quality and human health. This is particularly true for vegetables, which are often regarded as a safe and nutritious food source. Edelstein et al. (2005) suggested that grafted plants (Fig. 1) could be used to prevent the entry of toxic microelements and saline elements into the food chain via plants. The present paper reviews and discusses the possibility of using grafted vegetable plants to inhibit penetration of saline and toxic elements into the plant and fruit under arid and semiarid conditions.

Microelements in plant tissues

The effects of plant grafting on microelement concentrations in the fruit of melon plants under field conditions were studied in field plots with clay soil in an experimental station in Akko, northern Israel. The field plots were irrigated with secondary effluent for 4 years, and melon (Cucumis melo L., cv. Arava) (non-grafted plant) and melon grafted onto pumpkin rootstock TZ-148 (grafted plant) were grown in these plots. The concentrations of various microelements in the fruits of the grafted and non-grafted melon plants are presented in Fig. 2. In general, the concentrations of B, Zn, Sr, Mn, Cu, Ti, Cr, Ni, and Cd were significantly lower in the fruits of grafted vs. non-grafted plants.

To determine the mechanisms responsible for the lower microelement concentrations in the fruits of the grafted plants, detailed experiments were conducted in

the greenhouse. Grafted and non-grafted melon plants were irrigated with fresh water (EC = 1.8 dS/m), saline water (EC = 4.6 dS/m) or secondary effluent enriched with B at up to 10 mg/L (Edelstein et al., 2005, 2007). The B concentrations in old leaves of the non-grafted and grafted plants increased linearly and significantly (R>0.96) with increasing B concentration in the fresh and saline and effluent irrigation waters; the B concentrations in the leaves of the grafted plants were lower than in those of the non-grafted plants (Edelstein et al., 2005). The lower B concentration in the organs of the grafted plants might be mainly due to differences in the properties of the grafted vs. non-grafted plant’s root systems. B can be absorbed by the root cell symplast or loaded into the xylem by means of two main transport mechanisms: passive diffusion through the lipid bilayer, and passage through proteinaceous channels in the cell membrane (Dannel et al., 2002; Dordas et al., 2000). Edelstein et al. (2005) suggested that the Cucurbita rootstock excludes some B and that this, in turn, decreases the B concentration in the grafted plants.

To determine the differences in selectivity of the root systems of melon (cv. Arava) and pumpkin (TZ-148) to B absorption, their seedlings were planted in pots in the greenhouse, and irrigated with fresh water containing various concentrations of B. Thirty days after planting, and immediately after an irrigation event, stems 3 cm above the surface of the growth medium were cut and the xylem sap exudates collected. B concentration was determined in each collected sap sample. The B concentrations in the melon sap exudates were higher than those in the pumpkin sap exudates (Fig. 3). Thus it was postulated that the pumpkin root system was

15

Fig 3: B concentration in xylem sap exudates from melon and cucurbita plants as a function of B content in the irrigation water. Vertical bars represent ± SE (unpublished data).

Fig. 4: Growth performance, fruit yield and mean fruit weight of non-grafted (‘Tri-X 313’; NG) and grafted (onto TZ-148; G) watermelon irrigated with saline water (EC = 4.5 dS/m) (after Cohen et al., 2007).

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more selective and absorbed less B than of the melon roots. The B-exclusion hypothesis is supported by other studies: Dannel et al. (1998, 2002) suggested that at low B concentrations, B uptake may be active, but at high concentrations, there is evidence of B excretion or exclusion. Dordas et al. (2000) indicated that B enters plant cells partly by passive diffusion through the lipid bilayer of the plasma membrane and partly through proteinaceous channels. Dordas and Brown (2001) examined B transport in squash plants, and suggested that both of these mechanisms were possible.

Saline elements in the plant tissues

The effects of grafting watermelon (‘Tri-X 313’) onto the commercial Cucurbita maxima × Cucurbita moschata rootstock TZ-148 on growth and yields of plants irrigated with saline water (EC 4.5 dS/m) in disease-free soil in experimental field plots in an arid zone in southern Israel are shown in Fig. 4. Vegetative growth, fruit yield and fruit sizes of the grafted plants were higher than those of the non-grafted plants (Fig. 4). The differences in yield parameters were probably due to the higher salt tolerance of the grafted vs. non-grafted plants or to higher excretion or exclusion of saline ions by the root system of the grafted plants.

Fernandez-Garcia et al. (2003) showed that under saline conditions (60 mM NaCl), Cl- and Na+ uptake by grafted tomato plants is significantly lower than that by non-grafted plants, indicating that the former exhibit higher selectivity toward saline absorption than the latter. Likewise, Romero et al. (1997) found that the effects of salinity on two varieties of melon grafted onto three hybrids of squash were less severe than those on non-grafted melons, suggesting that the grafted plants develop various mechanisms to prevent the physiological damage caused by excessive accumulation of Cl- and

Na+ in the leaves. The suggested mechanisms included exclusion of Cl- and/or reduction of its absorption by the roots, and replacement or substitution of total Na+ with total K+ in the foliage. The concentrations of Ca, Na, Mg, and Cl- in the leaves, stem, and fruit tissues of a non-grafted melon (cv. Arava) plant and melon grafted onto pumpkin rootstock (TZ-148) grown in field plots in the experimental station in Akko are presented in Table 1. These plants were irrigated with secondary effluent. The concentrations of all saline elements except Mg in the stem and leaves were higher in the non-grafted vs. grafted plants (Table 1). The largest difference between the non-grafted and grafted plants was in their Na concentration, which was one order of magnitude lower in the grafted plant tissues than in the non-grafted ones.Edelstein et al. (2010) suggested two mechanisms that might explain the decrease in shoot Na concentration in plants with pumpkin rootstocks: (i) Na exclusion by the pumpkin roots, and (ii) Na retention and accumulation within the pumpkin rootstock. Quantitative analysis performed by Edelstein et al. (2010) indicated that the pumpkin roots excluded ~74% of available Na, while there was nearly no Na exclusion by melon roots. Na retention by the pumpkin rootstocks decreased its amount in the shoot by an average 46.9% compared to uniform Na distribution throughout the plant. In contrast, no retention of Na was found in plants grafted on melons.

ConclusionsIntensive agriculture has increased the use of toxic chemicals on cultivated lands. In addition, to satisfy the demand for food in arid and semiarid regions, the use of marginal water sources, such as treated domestic sewage (effluent) and saline water, for irrigation is on the rise. These can enhance soil and water contamination, and the possibility of toxic microelements and saline elements entering into the food supply chain via plants. From laboratory, greenhouse and field experiments, it can be concluded that grafting of vegetable plants can be used as a technique to prevent the entry of toxic microelements and saline elements into the food chain.

References

References are available at the corresponding author

[email protected]

Table 1: Average concentrations of saline elements (g/kg, DW) in different organs of non-grafted and grafted plants irrigated with effluent water ± SE (unpublished data).

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Fig. 2: Effect of mint essential oil (MEO) thermal fogging on potato sprouting in storage. Tubers from eight cultivars were stored for 6 months. All tubers were stored at 8°C and 95% humidity and were thermally fogged monthly with MEO at 100 ml t-1 in the first application and 30 ml t-1 monthly in subsequent applications. Dashed line represents the level above which potatoes are no longer marketable. Error bars represent SE.

18

Introduction: The potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is the highest gross value crop in Israel and the world’s largest food crop in terms of fresh produce after rice and wheat. Postharvest potatoes suffer from undesirable sprouting during storage leading to alterations in weight, turgidity, and texture. Tuber sprouting during storage is caused by the cessation of natural dormancy of the tuber. Cold temperature storage (2-4°C) delays sprout development but does not delay unacceptable tissue sweetening. Successful long-term storage of potatoes for market, processing or seed-tubers necessitates using a sprout control agent in combination with proper management of storage conditions. Chlorpropham (isopropyl N-[3-chlorophenyl] carbamate; CIPC) is the most effective post-harvest sprout inhibitor registered for use in potato storage, used successfully as a sprout inhibitor for more than 40 years. It is a mitotic inhibitor that inhibits sprout development by interfering with cell division and is effective in long-term sprout control. There have been reports of residue levels in processed potato products and both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the ”Advisory Committee on Pesticides (APC) in the UK put new limits on total CIPC application and residue. Random sampling has shown that there is potential to exceed the maximum residue limit, even when applications have been made according to best practice (http://www.pro-potato.com). For seed-tuber growers, CIPC residues are problematic in cases where it would be desirable to rapidly break tuber dormancy. Also, potato seed-tubers cannot be treated or stored in CIPC storage facilities, because of the long term negative effect on field germination. Alternatives to CIPC are also needed for both the organic and export markets where CIPC is not permitted or residue level is limited. Due to increased concern for consumer health and safety,

Sprouting Inhibition of Postharvest Potatoes by using Environment Friendly Mint Essential Oil

Dani Eshel1, Paula Teper-Bam-nolker1, Roi Amitay2 and Harry Daniel2

1. Department of Postharvest Science, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel.2. Agro-Dan 2008 Ltd, Israel.

Fig. 1: Effect of monthly application of mint essential oil (MEO) on potato tubers from cultivar Belini, stored for 9 months at 10°C.

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there is considerable interest in finding effective potato sprout suppressants that have negligible environmental impact. Previous research has concentrated on such compounds as ethylene, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, volatile monoterpenes, aromatic aldehydes and alcohols. To date, only one monoterpene, (S)-(+)-carvone (S-5-isopropenyl-2-methyl-2-cyclohexenone), a chemical produced from caraway (Carum carvi) seeds and described as a volatile sprout suppressant more than 30 years ago, has been developed commercially. Higher production and application costs compared to such traditional sprout suppressants as CIPC have limited its use primarily in the Netherlands. Research objectives are to develop an alternative, environmental friendly, method for sprout suppression in order to (1) inhibit potato sprouting during storage and shelf life; (2) maintain tuber quality parameters; (3) delay diseases of potato tubers during storage, and (4) regulate sprouting in potato seeds.Methods: We tested the efficiency of mint essential oil (MEO, Biox-M®, Xeda International, Saint Andiol, France) on the sprout inhibition of eight potato cultivars that are commonly grown in Israel and differ in their length of dormancy. Tubers were treated in the lab and semi commercial scale by monthly thermal fogging (Electro-fogger, Xeda International). Treated tubers were analyzed for preserving their quality parameters, such as weight, turgidity, texture and taste. The effect of MEO was analyzed by microscopic and biochemical means. Results: A scalable method to inhibit potato tuber sprouting by fogging with a raw material extracted from natural spearmint oil (70% R-carvone) was developed (Fig. 1) (Eshel et al. 2008, Orenstein et al. 2008, Teper-

Bamnolker et al. 2010). Experiments were conducted on 8 potato cultivars that differ in their length of dormancy (Fig. 2). Tubers were treated with MEO using an applicator that creates a thermal fog circulated by the ventilation system. Monthly thermal fogging with MEO inhibited sprouting for 9 months in all treated cultivars. Purified R-carvone produced the same effect. Treatment with MEO reduced weight loss during storage by up to 4% and reduced softening; both these changes were associated with sprouting inhibition. Thermal fogging of potato tubers with MEO resulted in highly efficient penetration to bulk of commercial Dolev containers (Fig. 3). Cooking of treated potatoes showed no taste, color or texture changes. Conclusions and recommendations for MEO application: Since mint oil was found as an efficient way for sprout inhibition of potato tubers under semi commercial storage conditions, we should consider a controlled translocation to commercial storage rooms. Mint esential oil way action is reversible and can be tested to control sprouting of potato tuber seeds.

Literature Eshel, D., J. Orenstein, M. Hazanovsky, and L. Tsror. 2008. Control of sprouting and tuber-borne diseases of stored potato by environment-friendly method. Acta Hort 830:363-368.Orenstein, J., M. Michaeli, and D. Eshel. 2008. Sprouting retard in potatoes, whilst quality assurence during sorage, by using mint oil. Gan Vayerek (in hebrew) 5:59-62.Teper-Bamnolker, P., N. Dudai, R. Fischer, E. Belausov, H. Zemach, O. Shoseyov, and D. Eshel. 2010. Mint essential oil can induce or inhibit potato sprouting by differential alteration of apical meristem. Planta 232:179-186.

[email protected]

Fig. 3: Semi-commercial application of mint essential oil on stored potato tubers.

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Givat Brenner 60948, Israel Tel: 972-8-9443961 Fax: 972-8-9443357

e-mail: [email protected] http://www.gavish.org.il

Fertilizer System – supplying plants with a proportional and controlled quantity of fertilizer: Suitable for all types of fertilizing methods.

Gavish Computerized Systems have proven their supremacy for over 30 years

● Excelling in climate control, irrigation and fertilization. ● Flexibility and adaptability ● Increased output and higher quality crops ● Economical and Reliable

Greenhouse Climate Control of air vents, screens, lighting and humidity units, plus drainage and treatment of water supplies for reuse in the irrigation lines.

Open field – remote control of irrigation valves and data transfer from pressure and capacity gauges.

Computerized Control Systems for improvingyour Crops

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Tomatoes on-the-vine, also known as cluster tomatoes, are not new to tomato consumers worldwide. They have been there since the first introduction of a cluster variety by Hazera Genetics in 1986 in Italy. This innovative product controlled the Italian tomato market for several years, and is still marketed in some parts of Europe, mainly for the hobby sector. However, until recently tomatoes on-the-vine were niche products, consumed only by a very small portion of the population that was willing to pay its price. Nevertheless, the improved flavor of cluster tomatoes and the sense of freshness that is associated with the aroma of the green spine, gradually gained them market share. Farmers also came to like on-the-vine tomatoes since the amount of labor required for their production is much lower compared to other crops and the price is usually higher. At present, about 50% of fresh tomatoes consumed in Europe are purchased on-the-vine. Other markets for on-the-vine tomatoes include USA, Australia, Canada and more. Cluster tomatoes are produced in southern Europe mainly in the winter and in glasshouses in northern

Europe in the summer. Recently, the production of tomatoes on-the-vine spread to Turkey and North Africa for consumption in Europe, and to Mexico for consumption in USA. As mentioned, Hazera Genetics was the first seed company to launch a cluster tomato variety in Italy over 20 years ago, and is since continuing to develop cluster tomato varieties for production in Spain, Italy, Turkey, France and Israel. This project is carried out by a team of researchers from Hazera Genetics and in part is done in collaboration with researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Antonella is one of the varieties derived from the abovementioned collaboration. It was developed for the Italian market and tested in all on-the-vine producing areas. Antonalla has a medium size fruit with excellent quality and a very elegant fishbone like cluster arrangement. The fruit has a very shiny red color and extremely long shelf life. In addition, Antonella has a very good heat setting ability that makes it a perfect candidate for production in hot conditions, such as the Israeli summer. When all other tomato varieties yield

Antonella – A new Tomato On-The-Vine Dr. Alon Haberfeld,

Marketing Manager, Hazera Genetics

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Duchifat 5 ,Kfar-Saba, 44246 ● Tel: 972-9-7676277, 050-5238227 Fax: 972-9-7676278 ● [email protected]

TOTZA’AH Agriculture and lndustry (1995)Business Enterprise and Development

23

low quality, soft and pale fruit, Antonella fruits have excellent color and firmness. And they can maintain this high quality at room temperature for up to one week post harvest. In the past summer season, about 100 hectares of Antonalla were produced in southern Israel.

To promote Antonella among Israeli consumers who are not used to buying tomatoes on-the-vine, Hazera Genetics has joined one of Israel’s leading retailers in a joint launching effort. The variety was promoted and sold under Hazera’s Antonella brand. All products were clearly marked with the Antonella logo and offered to consumers in stores in most regions of Israel during the summer- autumn months (August- September). Due to the successful launch Antonella is expected to triple its market share in the next production season.Hazera Genetics is one of the world’s leading companies in the field of breeding, production and marketing of hybrid seeds for vegetables and field crops, specializing in advanced bio-technological research and development, worldwide distribution and agro-technical support. The company, established seven decades ago, is constantly developing new products that address market demands, including improved health and nutritional benefits, quality, especially high yields, year round availability, resistance to diseases and longer shelf life.

[email protected]

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Mapal Products speak for themselves

For indoors and outdoors, Mapal’s growing technology provides long life solutions for the soil-less culture industry. Our products suit all substrates, crops and growing systems.

Mapal’s innovative designs allow for recollection and/or recycling of drainage.

Mapal Plastics Agricultural ProductsTel: +972-4-6764784/[email protected]://www.mapalplastics.com/agr.html

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Drip irrigation is the most efficient and water saving irrigation method. It has become the most popular and the leading irrigation method used in intensive agriculture during the past three decades.

However, the extensive use of more sophisticated irrigation methods, such as very low dripper flow-rate, pulse irrigation and SDI (Subsurface Drip Irrigation) along with the global tendency for the increased use of low quality, marginal water and reclaimed effluent water

for irrigation, have necessitated the development of a new generation of drippers.

The R&D demands characteristic of the new generation of drippers were quite challenging:

Small flat PC dripper – a dripper with a large variety of lateral diameters and wall thicknesses, for versatile irrigation design and a cost effective product.

Clogging resistant dripper: a dripper with a large inlet filter, wide water passages with no narrow orifices and a

The New Generation of Drippers

Dr. Gidi Sagi

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turbulent, high velocity flow pattern to prevent particles from settling in the dripper.

Non-drain dripper: a dripper that keeps the lateral filled with water between irrigation cycles, for immediate watering from all drippers along the drip-line with each irrigation cycle.

Anti-siphon dripper: a dripper that shuts down simultaneously with the drop of pressure in the lateral at the end of the irrigation cycle, to prevent air and water suction through the dripper outlet and the penetration of sand and soil into the dripper - mainly for SDI.

Rootguard ™ dripper: a dripper that contains impregnated chemicals which prevent root intrusion into the dripper in SDI, eliminating the need for any other treatment for many years.

The new Inbar dripper collection was developed by Metzerplas to meet the challenges of the new generation of drippers. The group includes three drippers, which seem almost identical from the outside (Figure 1), but are distinguished by unique designs to accomplish special individual features.

The Vardit dripper is a small, flat PC dripper with a very large inlet filter that covers most of the dripper surface

area and enables water to enter the dripper through one of the many active inlets (Figure 2). The size of the active inlet filter is very important for dripper block resistance. Studies have shown that most of the drippers’ clogs are found on the inlet filter and that the active area size has a major impact on dripper clog resistance.

The Assif dripper is an anti -siphon PC dripper designed mainly for SDI. The anti-siphon mechanism prevents the suction of surrounding water and dirt into the dripper, at the end of the irrigation cycle, when the drip-line is drained and vacuum pressure conditions develop on some areas along the lateral. The Assif dripper is produced with the Rootguard ™ version for reliable root protection in SDI.

The Inbar dripper is an ND (Non-Drain) and AS flat PC dripper that keeps the lateral filled with water between the irrigation cycles. In a regular drip-line, the lateral is not filled with water at all times and the first drippers start to irrigate prior to the adjacent ones. In long laterals, the time required for a complete filling and for pressure to be built up can take more than several minutes. Pulse irrigation, characterized by many short irrigation cycles during the day, increases the difference in the watering level of each dripper along the drip-line. In a ND drip-line, all of the drippers along the lateral start watering at the same time for better and uniform water distribution.

The revision of the features of both the ND and the AS drippers has included a slight reduction in the size of the inlet filter of the Assif and Inbar models in comparison to the Vardit dripper, but the active inlet filter has remained quite large to ensure free water passage into the dripper, for all water quality levels. Field trials conducted with Inbar drippers, using secondary treated effluent water without additional chemical treatment (chlorination or acidification), have been studied during the past three years. The results indicate that the drippers maintain their nominal flow rate, but the inlet filter shows partial clogging (Figure 3). The inlet filter is large enough and contains several active holes, each of them capable of supplying the entire dripper flow-rate, to ensure clog resistance.

[email protected]

7 8

Figure 1: The Inbar drippers appear to be almost identical from the outside.

Figure 2: A very large inlet filter of the Vardit dripper.

Figure 3: Partial clogging of the inlet filter of the Inbar dripper, when using effluent water, still enables the nominal dripper flow-rate.

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Local meteorology is an important part of agriculture crop monitoring as correct management incorporates crop growth and growth rate with weather data in order to determine irrigation amounts and timing. The most important climate data for this monitoring are growing degree-days (GDD) and evapo-transpiration (ET), where the former represents the accumulated temperature re-quired for crop growth, and the latter characterizes the loss of water to the atmosphere. Both are necessary to ensure that the supplied water amounts are calculated based on the current growth rate and the loss of water.Most farmers are dependent upon climate stations located 30-50 km (20-30 miles) from each other (Figure 1A). With local changes in topography, soil and drainage, the huge spatial variability between each pair of stations does not allow for effective monitoring of local crop fields (Figure 1B). As a result, farmers invest large amounts of time and

money on soil/plant sensing and sampling. The main goal of this project was to replace this method of hand sampling with a computer-based system. To achieve this goal, satellite imagery was integrated with climate dataset in a geographic information system (GIS), allowing for the collection of the data and the processing of daily reports for field crops in the project.

Scientific background:The main method to determine the amounts of water during any crop irrigation is calculating the potential ET, multiplied by crop coefficients that are based on crop growing models. These variables are calculated from weather stations and known experimental data to represent the day-to-day changes. Yet, as the spatial distribution is greater than the average field size, local differences are not recognizable. Numerous researchers have attempted to resolve this issue by integrating remote imagery. These projects have illustrated that as crops become dryer and require more water, the greater the difference between crop and air temperatures (Moran, 1994). To ensure that crop growth stages do not affect this model, the vegetation temperature is normalized by the vegetation vigor, both mapped by satellite imagery. This index represents the vegetation resistance to transpiration (Nemani and Running, 1989) with higher values indicating water-stress. Integration of this method will allow for the mapping of differences between neighboring crop fields, as well as inside any plot, and agriculture growth models that use crop coefficients for monitoring will enable updated irrigation amounts for each field.

5

Dr. Offer Beeri and Shay Mey-tal

Developing a High Spatial and Temporal Resolution Database for Meteorological Based Agronomical Models

Figure 1. Noon-time temperature, 28-March-2009, as captured by climate stations network (A) and satellite imagery (B).

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In order to test the possibility of using satellite imagery for day-to-day irrigation decision making, the suggested GIS module combines data from satellite imagery and local weather stations. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is used with its Red and Near-Infrared 250-m pixel and surface temperature 1000-m products. The latter is scaled-down to 250-m (Hassen et al 2007). Weather stations are used for calibration while the other weather station is utilized for verification. The spatial variability of the GIS product is tested on cotton and tomatoe crops and in natural forests.

The research goals were (2009 season):1. To test the variability among temperature calculated

from weather stations and mapped by temperature integrating surface temperature imagery, Red and Near-Infrared images and weather station data.

2. To test the variability among GDD calculated by weather stations and GDD mapped by surface temperature imagery.

3. To build a GIS module for agriculture monitoring by satellite imagery and weather stations.

The research results were:Remote sensing temperature (Surface), was well correlated to temperatures calculated from weather stations (Air at 2m).We found variability of GDD between growing fields based on GDD mapped by surface temperature imagery.We have built remote sensing and GIS models for agriculture monitoring by satellite imagery and weather stations.

Summary:We have built a low cost remote sensing model enabling precise field-scale irrigation amount and timing calculation.This model can be used to improve and make other

agricultural models more precise, such as insect growth models (IPM), harvest

timing etc…anywhere around the globe.

In 2010, we improved our model with the integration of other satellite data (higher

spatial resolution), and checked it with more crops and needs.

For more details please contact as at [email protected]

ReferencesAllen, R. Pereira, LS. Smith, M. Raes, D. and Wright, JL. (2005), FAO-56 Dual crop coefficient method for estimating evaporation from soil and application extension, Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 131, 1-12 Hassan QK. Bourque CPA. Meng F. and Richards W. (2007), Spatial mapping of growing degree days: an application of MODIS-based surface temperatures and enhanced vegetation index, Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, 1, 1-12 (DOI: 10.1117/1.2740040)Moran MS (1994) Irrigation management in Arizona using satellites and airplanes. Irrigation Sciences, 15, 35-44.Nemani R. and Running S. (1989) Estimation of regional surface resistance to Evapotranspiration from NDVI and thermal-IR AVHRR data, Journal of Applied Meteorology, 28, 276-284. MODIS website: http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/

[email protected]

Minimum air temperatures in Celsius, calculated by the weather station (2m) calibrating model. Daily average temperatures and GDD can be calculated based on minimum and maximum (same calibration model) temperature data.

NDVI (biomass index) used in our model to improve spatial resolution from 100Ha/pixel to approximately 5Ha/pixel. It can also be used to monitor crop growth rate.

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Pelemix Indiaplot no.127b,llnd streetS.A. College Road ,Rahmath NagarTiruneveli 627011,Tamil Nadu-India

Pelemix Lanka (pvt)Ltd.1151/1,Jawatte rd.Colombo 05,Sri-Lanka.

Pelemix Espania S.LP.I.Las SalinasCra.Alhama.Cartagena km.43,400Antiguua Nave elJinete.3080-Alhama DeMurcia, Spain

Pelemix LTDIsrael site: Hawaian GardensBeer Tuvia Industrial Zone 51838Office +972-8-6727290, Fax: +972-8-6727291www.pelemix.comE-mail: [email protected]

LTD.

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Agam Advanced Agronomy - P.O.Box 1579, Zicron Yaakov, 30900, [email protected]

www.agam-ag.com

Agam Advanced Agronomy has been providing precision farming services since 2005.As a dynamic, cutting-edge company, Agam offers its customers advanced agricultural knowledge and capabilities at reasonable prices.Our projects are based on a precise definition of the customer’s agricultural needs, an economic feasibility analysis, and a creative solution.The result is a precision agricultural application based on systematic data collection and analysis, tailored to the specific characterizations of the agricultural endeavor, as well as monitoring and follow-up.

Our services include:

Biomass maps.

Tree-counting maps.

IPM maps.

Yield map analysis.

Precision farming consulting and turn key projects.

Agricultural soil surveys.A

It Makes Sense . . .Agam Advanced Agronomy

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Adirom - Creating a Climate for Growthwww.adirom.co.il

AgamAdvanced Agronomywww.agam-ag.com

Adirom, since its establishment 20 years ago, has been supplying and installing climate-control solutions for the production of vegetables and flowers in greenhouses throughout the world.Adiram tailors its systems to create the most suitable environment for each type of crop, based on the local topography and climate conditions.Aiming to provide our costumers with the best solution, we have developed special equipment and methods of implementation. These systems and installations are currently operating in greenhouse projects covering close to 1000 hectares, spread across all five continents. The company’s engineering team would be happy to provide the best, cost-effective solution to accommodate your greenhouse climate-control requirements.

As a dynamic, front-running company, Advanced Agronomy offers its customers the most advanced agricultural know-how and professional capabilities.Our extensive theoretical and hands-on knowledge, based on academic qualifications, cutting-edge knowledge, strong ties with research institutions, and significant field experience (since 2000), enable us provide innovative solutions for top quality performance. The company offers advanced GIS and remote sensing capabilities, combining leading computer developments with our abundant knowledge and professional experience. AGAM projects are based on the precise definition of the specific agricultural need, economic feasibility analysis, and creative solutions to ensure successful results.From the planning of precision agricultural applications, based on systematic data collection and analysis, through project monitoring and follow-up, AGAM’s services are tailored to meet the specific needs of each agricultural endeavor.

Gavish Control Systemswww.gavish.org.il

GAVISH is a leading company in the field of Agricultural Control Systems. The products are designed to enhance efficiency and productivity. Much attention is given to the system’s reliability and durability . Special effort is invested in R&D, quality control and field tests.GAVISH exports its products to Europe, the Middle East, Africa and a number of other countries including Australia, China, Mexico and Japan. Export sales currently represent 80% of all sales.

MAIN PRODUCTS:Greenhouse and Open field Control SystemsA dedicated system for Greenhouses which controls two areas:Irrigation Control – Considers operating time-table, required quantity of water, existing water tensity in soil and other parameters. This data is used to decide when and how much water to irrigate each plot. The irrigation control also operates the fertilizing plan while checking EC, pH, and other elements involved.Radio system for Pivot irrigation, The system consists: In the control room - Spirit controller (PLC) with the software + Host + base & antena + PC computer. In the field, attached to the pivot, situated the RTU Radio with the ability to operate up to 9 operations and to read up to 10 digital inputs. Each RTU is also can be a repeater in order to enlarge the the distance of the signal. Fertigation Machine – Gavish produces a Fertigation Machine consisting of PVC, assembled on an aluminum frame. There are 3 types of Fert. Machines:- Mixer, Bypass and Online machines - Climate Control - Irrigation And Fertilization Turnkey Projects Dairy Farm Control SystemsFeedtrol - The leading product in the Israeli cattle feeding market. The purpose of this product is to eliminate food waste during the preparation of the cattle food. Mixmaster - A comprehensive package to control the feeding center. The center is based on a bridge scale, multiple mobile and static mixers, silos and a communication network.

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BERMAD – Water Control Solutions offers nothing less. Founded in 1965, BERMAD knows the value of a single drop of water and how best to reap its full advantage. With 9 subsidiaries throughout the world and operations in over 80 countries on 6 continents, BERMAD has a formidable global presence. Its worldwide customer training facilities and parts distribution networks ensure uninterrupted customer service. Today BERMAD serves global customers in a wide range of fields. Bringing together its expertise and know-how, leading-edge technology and precision engineering, BERMAD provides comprehensive customized solutions for the control and management of water supply anywhere in the world.

BERMAD - Provider of Solutions Based on expertise that comes from years of hands-on experience, BERMAD has developed state-of-the-art control valves and related products, along with comprehensive system solutions for a range of water management needs. Its main areas of activity include: Waterworks - BERMAD offers management systems for the supply and treatment of water and wastewater covering a range of applications from high-rise buildings, and whole municipalities, to comprehensive water systems for industrial facilities, hydroelectric power stations, and private sector projects. Irrigation – A comprehensive line of water control products provides system solutions for the full range of agricultural irrigation applications including drip irrigation, pivot systems, sprinklers, micro-jets and greenhouse irrigation, as well as covering commercial and residential gardening irrigation needs. Fire Protection - Automatic control valves with a range of operation modes are the vital components in fire protection systems for oil refineries, petro-chemical plants and public buildings. Water Metering - BERMAD solutions are adapted to the needs of bulk and domestic water metering in supply systems, and include both remote water metering read-out, and pre-payment systems. BERMAD products are suitable for most water and fluid supply applications, meeting control needs such as: Pressure reducing and sustaining Flow and level control

Pump, surge and burst control Solenoid, electronic and multi-step digital operation Main modes of operation include electric and hydraulic On/Off operation, as well as hydraulic pre-set for modulation.Precision Engineering - A BERMAD CommitmentComprehensive fluid management systems are only as effective as their smallest component, each part making a critical contribution to the whole. That’s why BERMAD systems are based on control components that are designed, developed and manufactured in-house. Dedication to precision engineering is expressed in BERMAD’s ability to adapt solutions to any customer need; to constantly integrate the latest, most reliable manufacturing techniques; and to provide every customer with the most comprehensive commercial and technical support in the world. BERMAD …a global leader in managing the world’s most precious resource

ICL Fertilizers

www.iclfertilizers.com

ICL Fertilizers, one of the world’s largest fertilizer companies, provides end-users and manufacturers on five continents with a wide range of high-performance solutions - all from a single source. With more than 50 years of experience in the field of fertilizer production and marketing, ICLs growing global family of integrated businesses ensures that customers receive the highest quality, competitive pricing and responsive sales and support.ICL Specialty Fertilizers produces superior-quality; cost-effective specialty fertilizers that help growers achieve higher yields and better quality, in spite of scarce water and limited arable land.ICL Specialty Fertilizers serves sophisticated segments of the world’s agricultural market, including customers who use drip irrigation and greenhouses.Our fully-soluble fertilizers, with specific strength in P and K, are produced from the rich natural resources of potash from the Dead Sea and phosphate rock mines in Israel. These products, some of which are balanced with supplementary macro and micro-nutrients, are ideal for fertigation, hydroponics, foliar nutrition and as special starters, as well as for horticulture, aquaculture, food applications and other uses.

Bermad Water Control Solutionswww.bermad.com

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Eshet Eilon Industries (2003) Ltdwww.eshet.co.il

Dorot Control Valves Ltd.www.dorot.com

Genesis Seeds Ltd,

www.genesisseeds.com

Founded in 1946, Dorot is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of a wide range of superior quality automatic control valves, air valves and mechanical valves. Dorot was a pioneer in developing hydraulic control valves and its series 300 valves became a leading product in waterworks control systems worldwide.Dorot is a leader in Automatic Control Valves for the Irrigation Market including: Drip Irrigation, Greenhouses, Turf and Landscape.Our innovative state of the art products are made of a variety of materials such as: Cast Iron, Ductile Iron, Steel, Stainless Steel, Bronze, Polyamide and uPVC. Dorot’s “GAL” valves became an industry standard.

ESHET EILON INDUSTRIES (2003) LTD located at Kibbutz Eilon, Israel; proudly embraces Israel endless commitment to pursue world leading agricultural research, striving to provide the most advanced solutions to the farmers around the world.ESHET EILON with 65 years of continuous engineering endeavors and manufacturing demands from its customers has developed dependable experience to carry out successfully the most demanding and finest touch fresh produce packing systems.Our “turn key” projects totally customized and tailored to best suit the packinghouse specific needs, location, structure, unique conditions and budget. ESHET EILON is leading the world industry in design and manufacture the complete line of equipment in Stainless Steel, intending to provide our customers the best equipment worth value, beside sanitary and durability benefits. Our complete packing systems typically include fruit dumping systems, advanced sanitation systems enhanced with hot water or ozonated water, efficient hot-cold air dryers for perfect water removal and long produce shelf life expectancy, all together out coming to the most detectable benefit, provided by our accurate, medium and high speed, electronic sizers which with it’s optional optic systems upgrade, can sort out the perfect fruit for the most demanding market. Being farmers and packers ourselves, ESHET EILON’s principals keep the goal of building high standards equipment and steel very practical, easy to use at the most economical solution. After sale service and technical support, provided by our team of trained engineers, adds to our client’s peace of mind and confidence. Our peripherical solutions includes intelligent conveying systems, smartly operated with electronic eyes and loading motion sensors, which might help to save energy and avoid flow conflict on the items moving process. Our systems are being installed in the most advanced and demanding projects, such as military logistics facilities, food industry, pharmaceutical product management and most commonly packing houses for palletizing or cooling processes.

Genesis Seeds Ltd, privately owned, is one of the world’s largest producers of Certified Organic Vegetable, Herb and Flower Seed Since 1994. The company is based in Israel (in the ‘High Negev’), where all research, and production takes place. All Genesis Seed products are grown only in Israel and the company operates according to ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 endorsement of the Israeli Standards Institute. Genesis Seeds Sells it’s own production only to seed companies, wholesales and distributors in North America, West Europe, Israel and other countries world wide. In seeking the Best quality, we focus on Organic Production under strict agro–technical methods while always looking for the best Genetics. Innovating, Breeding and Keeping a full assortment of Flowers, Herbs and Vegetables in order to fulfill and serve the Organic and Conventional markets”

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Mapal Plastics

www.mapalplastics.com

Haifa- Teaspoon Feeding™www.haifachem.com

Hazera Genetics

www.hazera.com

HAIFA specializes in development, production and marketing of specialty fertilizers for advanced and highly efficient applications. By means of Nutrigation™, Controlled Release Nutrition and Foliar Feeding, HAIFA products help growers to optimize plant nutrients application. The results are higher yields, better quality, lower production costs, and reduced environmental impact. HAIFA fertilizers teaspoon-feed your crops, providing plant nutrients at Precise timing and composition - to match plant growth needs Precise location - to enhance uptake efficiencyPrecise dosing - to avoid wastes and contaminationAll HAIFA products for Teaspoon Feeding™ of crops are free of chloride, sodium and any other detrimental elements. They are fully consumed by the plants, so they leave no harmful residues in the soil. Teaspoon-fed plants absorb HAIFA products rapidly and efficiently, for optimal development and best yields.

Hazera Genetics is committed to the success of growers and quality of life of consumers. These targets are met through the advanced properties of the company’s innovative hybrid varieties. For Hazera Genetics, agriculture is an advanced, rapidly developing and innovative science, yielding products that are carefully defined, designed and applied to meet the specific needs of its customers. Hazera Genetics is a leading global player in breeding, production and marketing of innovative hybrid seeds of vegetables and field crops. The company’s extensive experience, going back to 1939, is utilized to tailor product specifications that offer added value from the moment a seed is sown until the final product reaches the end-customer. Hazera Genetics’ membership in the Vilmorin Group opens doors to a range of business opportunities by enabling R&D cooperation, enhancing our product portfolio and extending our global market reach.

Growing systems & technology for soil-less cultivationMapal offers growing solutions for the indoors and outdoors; for all substrates, for all growing systems and different crops. We have been supplying troughs & drainage gutters to the soil-less cultivation community for over two decades with proven success and durability.Mapal’s systems provide unlimited root zone per plant with good air/water + fertilizer need compensation, as well as a good humidity and aeration conditions around the plant area.Made of environmentally minded material, Mapal’s systems, above all, allow for re-using and re-cycling of water & nutrients that would otherwise be wasted, optimizing yields & costs.Mapal offers agronomist assistance for all your agricultural endeavors.

Hishtil

www.hishtil.com

Established in 1974, Hishtil has become the largest producer of young plants in Israel. At present Hishtil owns and manages 5 production centers in Israel, which operate greenhouses on over 18 hectares. Hishtil develops and operates most advanced biological and mechanical nursery technologies.Hishtil’s Vision: To become a leading and innovative plant nursery, in Israel and worldwideHishtil’s personnel of some 380 employees, produces over 550 million plants annually. The main products are young plants of vegetables, various ornamentals, herbs and cut flowers; both for the local market and for the growing export markets. Hishtil’s international activities include joint ventures and partnerships in nurseries Turkey, Italy and Greece. Hishtil also provides know-how and production input packages to clients in Southern Europe, Central America and elsewhere.

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Pelemix Industries

www.pelemix.com

Pelemix factories are located in Israel, Sri Lanka, India, and Spain. The company specializes in the production of Cocopeat Substrates using new technologies mainly for professional growers and also for the Home and Garden hobbyist markets ( Mr. Cocor). Products include “Double Sieved Fine dust removed” coco growbags (regular and” Multi Drain), Growing Cubes for propagators, and other wide ranges of cocopeat products[like bales and bricks] in different grades, compression and sizes.All products are washed. “Treated and Buffered Cocopeat” is available in different grades and chemical structurse according to the client’s request. Pelemix specializes in the production and know how of a wide range of “Peat Moss & Cocopeat Mixtures”.An exclusive Agronomy Support Service is offered to all professional growers.

The company is based on knowledge and contacts, while continually pursuing an in-depth understanding and awareness of the market situation in the fields of food and agriculture. Operations are routinely assisted by supporting factors, such as: know-how, information, business intelligence, advertising and tools that promote business development and marketing. The company has an additional area of unique expertise in its marketing activities and strategies within the religious sectors.The company excels in bio-technological seeds with a potential client in France (potatoes) and a new client in the field of carrots (seeds).The staff is aware of the professional level and intensive amount of activity that are required and obligating, including press conferences and the constant follow-up of all operations.

Totza’a – Business Innovation and Development Ltd. (1995)

Resht-O-Plast

www.rop.co.il

Flow-cast film is a non-oriented co-extruded Polypropylene film specifically designed to reduce the defect rate and increase yield on from fill and seal (FFS) packaging. The combination of uniquely formulated Polypropylene layers offers heat resistance and rigidity without compromising .the outstanding seal integrity of cast Polypropylene. New Line – coex BOPP films for Flow packing, top sealing or for packing trays. Available with microperforation, macroperforation and anti-fog properties. Thanks to production site in the Cezech republic, short delivery times and constant quality are guaranteed.Flow-cast enables processors to increase profits in two ways. First, it helps processors reduce losses caused by broken seals or tom packages both on the production floor and at the end user. Second, Flow-cast improves product presentation through high-clarity packaging that elevates the value of the product.

Tuff Substrates

www.tuff-substrates.com

Tuff Substrates is a leader in this field, and its high quality products are an excellent alternative for soil. More and more growers are relying on Tuff Substrates, which enables them to be in control of PH, salinity, air-water ratio and mineral content required, and maximizing the full potential of their crops.Since its establishment in 1970, Tuff Substrates has been the primary developer, producer and marketer of innovative soil-less growing techniques. The company’s R&D division works with major research laboratories around the world, and successfully develops new methods for soil-less growing challenges. Tuff Substrates manufactures a wide range of superior products in Israel and Sri Lanka: Coconut based substrates, professional potting soil for nurseries and gardening, tuff soil and decorative surfacing products for gardens.

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E - m a i l : n u r i t - l @ z a h a v . n e t . i l

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We combined technology and the expertise of agronomic know-how to provide a complete solution.

Consultation for turn-key projectsSolutions for project financingSolutions for project managementSolutions for produce marketingManufacture of Greenhouses and Integral, Complementary systemsGuided tours to our demonstration farm and working projects in Israel including an exhibition of advanced growing systems

www.top.pro

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Peak® Mono potassium phosphate, fully soluble P and K,

low salt index (MKP, 52% P2O5, 34% K2O).

PeKacid™ Highly acidic fertilizer (pH 2.2), fully soluble P and K. Anticlogging action and acidifying power(60% P2O5, 20% K2O).

HiPeaK™ Highly concentrated, monocrystal fully soluble P and K (45% P2O5, 45% K2O).

MagPhos™ Slightly acidic fertilizer, fully soluble P and K with magnesium (55% P2O5, 19% K2O, 8% MgO).

NovaMAP™ Mono ammonium phosphate, fully soluble N and P (MAP, 12% N, 61% P2O5).

NutriVant™ Fully soluble NPK’s with long-lasting penetration technology for improved foliar nutrition. With micronutrients, crop-specific formulae.

NovaAcidNPK™ Fully soluble acidic NPK’s. Anticlogging action and acidifying power. Available in a balanced range of NPK ratios.

NovaNPK™ Fully soluble NPK's, available in a balanced range of NPK ratios, with micronutrients.

Ferti-K™ Potassium chloride, fully soluble white KCl for fertigation. Certified for organic agriculture (KCl, 61% K2O).

quicK-Mg™ Natural, fully soluble potassium-magnesium chloride (15% K2O, 13% MgO).

innovation

Tel: +972-8-6465731 l Fax: +972-8-6465811 l [email protected] l www.iclfertilizers.com

all from a single source

Product of Rotem Amfert Negev

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age2

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in Fertigation & Foliar Nutrition

ICL Specialty Fertilizers

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Agriculture 2011List of The Advertising Companies

43

Adirom Heating & Ventilation Engineering

17 Khozot Haiozer St., South Industrial Zone,P.O.B. 753Ashkelon, 78150 IsraelTel: 972-8-6719780, Fax: [email protected] www.adirom.co.il

Climate control equipment for greenhouses

Agam Advanced Agronomy

P.O.Box 1579, Zicron Yaakov, 30900, ISRAEL Cell: 972-52-4085566. Tel/Fax: [email protected] www.agam-ag.com

The company offers advanced GIS and remote sensing capabilities

Bermad Kibbutz Evron 22808 Tel: 972-4-9855311 Fax: 972-4-9855356 [email protected] www.bermad.com

Water Control Solutions

Eshet Eilon Industries (2003) Ltd.

Kibbutz Eilon, Mobile Post Western Galilee, 22845 IsraelTel: 972-4-9807555 Fax: [email protected] www.eshet.co.il

specializing in the production of packinghouse equipment for fruit, vegetables and fish.

10 Plaut st. Weizman Since Park Rehovot 76122 IsraelTel: 972-8-9318966 Fax: [email protected] www.genesisseeds.com

Israeli producers & breeder of cerified organic vegetables, herbs and flowers seeds.

Kibbutz Dorot, Mobile Post Hof Ashkelon 79175 IsraelTel: [email protected] www.dorot.com

Genesis Seeds Ltd.

DorotManagementControl Valves Ltd

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List of The Advertising CompaniesAgriculture 2011

44

hishtil

Hazera Genetics Ltd.

Moshav Nehalim 49950 Israel Tel. ++972-3-9373140 Fax. [email protected] www.hishtil.com

Young vegetable plants, bedding plants, herbs and perennials. Nursery know-how packages

ICL Fertilizers

Millenium Tower, 23 Aranha St., Tel-Aviv 61070, IsraelP.O.Box 20245, Tel-Aviv 61202, IsraelTel: 972-3-684-4400 Fax: + [email protected] www.iclfertilizers.com

Haifa Chemicals Ltd.

P.O.Box 10809, Haifa Bay 26120, IsraelTel: +972-4-8469616Fax: [email protected] www.haifachem.com

Supplier of potassium nitrate,an essential fertilizer for modern intensive agricultture.

Head Office: Berurim M.P. Shikmim 79837, IsraelTel: [email protected] www.hazera.com

Mevo Hamma,12934 IsraelTel: 972-4-6764784/555 Mobile:[email protected] [email protected]/agr.htmlMAPAL supplies growing containers and drainage gutters for all kinds of substrates and all cultivations, enabling the growers to collect, re-use and/or recycle the drainage water & nutrients.

Mapal Plastics

Givat Brenner, 60948, Israel Tel: 972-8-9443961 Fax: [email protected] www.gavish.org.il

Development and production of quality control systems for dairy farms (Dairyline), greenhouses (Greenline, Climate and Fertigation Control Systems) and fish farms (Aqualine).

Gavish Control Systems

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45

Pelemix Industries

Merzerplas

P.O,B. 319, Ashkelon, Israel 78102Tel: 972-8-6727290, Fax: [email protected] www.pelemix.com

Cocopeat substrates for professional growers, substrate systems, potting soil mixtures. Home & garden line.

Kibbutz Metzer M.P. Hefer 38820 IsraelTel. 972-4-6387001 Fax. [email protected] www.metzerplas.com

Micro-irrigation products, various types of pipelines and irrigation projects

Resht-O-Plast

Kibbutz Hahotrim 30870 M.P. Hof Hacarmel. IsraelTel: 972-4-8302406, Fax: 972-4 [email protected] www.rop.co.il

polypropilen film & bags for packaging

Tuff Merom Golan

TOTZAAH Agriculture and Industry (1995)

Yapro Ltd.

Kibbutz Merom Golan 12436 IsraelTel: 972-4-6960191/2, Fax: [email protected] www.tuff.co.il

Coco peat substrate, ready mixtures, peat moss p.p beds

5 Duchifat st. Kfar-Saba, 44284 ISRAELTel:972-9-767627 Fax:972-9-7676278Mobile:[email protected]

Agriculture, Industry and Trade Strategic Marketing and Innovation in the Fields of Food

House 142 Kfar Harif 79830 IsraelTel: 972-772100148, [email protected] www.yapro.co.il

Yapro specializes and are recognized for its high quality “New Season” Potatoes with an honest open communication backed- up with our reliable consistent service

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Tuff Marom Golan (2000) LTD.Kibbutz Marom Golan - 12436 Israel.Tel: +972-4-6960191-2 Fax: +972-4-6960191-2Mobile: [email protected]

Tuff Substrates is a leader in this field, and its high quality products are an excellent alternative for soil. More and more growers are relying on Tuff Substrates, which enables them to be in control of PH, salinity, air-water ratio and mineral content required, and maximizing the potential of their crops.

Tuff Substrates manufactures a wide range of superior products in Israel and Sri Lanka: Coconut based substrates, professional potting soil for nurseries and gardening, tuff soil and decorative surfacing products for gardens. The company's excellence in developing innovative products and its deep understanding of customers' needs, position.

Creating Roots of Success

Coconut based SubstratesVegetables GrowBag

Flowers GrowBag

Strawberry GrowBag

Complementary Products

Distributors needed, please contact us for more information: