December 2022

From the Director

One of our current main goals is to increase the number of graduate students and postdocs performing research in our institute. Our researchers’ recent successes in winning competitive grants will impel them to enlarge their research groups. We need everyone's help to spread the word that we accept excellent students and conduct groundbreaking research in the agricultural and biotechnological fields. In addition, the unique, welcoming, international nature of our campus allows for a quick, easy acclimation, with students able to devote valuable time to research.
In the Negev region, there are four regional research and development centers that work closely with farmers (Ramat Henegev, Central and Northern Arava-Tamar, Darom, Southern Arava ). We are very interested in strengthening the ties between our institute and these centers. We currently have several joint projects with each center. These centers possess experimental infrastructures and personnel skilled in plant cultivation according to the accepted agricultural protocols. Beyond their infrastructure, the research centers offer facilities where the upscaling of an idea that began with controlled laboratory experiments can be performed. At the beginning of February, the Central Arava Research Center will hold an Open Day, and in my opinion, everyone should try to attend and learn about the infrastructure and resources these centers can offer.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has about 900 researchers from many different fields. Today, there is quite a lot of support for interdisciplinary research and also, recently, for transdisciplinary research. Many of the institute's researchers have already established collaborations that have resulted in the joint supervision of students, research grants, and publications in leading journals. Throughout the year, there are several calls for proposals that provide seed money for such studies. I believe that we should take advantage of these opportunities to strengthen our relationships with researchers in other departments and faculties. The results obtained following such proposals can also serve as the basis for research proposals for competitive funds.
Happy Hanukah to all!

Dr. Nathan Levi: 1990-2022

Nathan Levi was a brilliant student who received his bachelor's degree from the Department of Geography and Environmental Development at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). He earned his master's degree at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, BGU, Sede Boqer Campus, under the guidance of Prof. Arnon Karnieli and Dr. Tarin Paz-Kagan. He continued to a combined track doctoral program under the supervision of Prof. Karnieli, Dr. Paz-Kagan, and Prof. Yaron Ziv.

Nathan was a beloved friend and colleague to all the Agro-Informatics and Remote Sensing Lab members and a natural leader in both the social and academic realms. Nathan offered highly intelligent commentary with humor and humility, making him a wonderful colleague. Attached are a few pictures of Nathan from the last years of his study, along with the many people who worked with him and who dearly miss him. We have lost an outstanding researcher and a treasured friend. His scientific work lives on, and his memory will be cherished forever. We send our deepest and sincerest condolences to his family and friends for their tremendous loss.

Manuscript of the Month

From fish excretions to high-protein dietary ingredient: feeding intensively cultured barramundi (Lates calcarifer) a diet containing microbial biomass (biofloc) from effluent of an aquaculture system.

Sagar Nayak , Uri Yogev, Yohannes Kpordzaxor, Ze Zhu, Natan Gur, Amit Gross, Dina Zilberg.

Aquaculture is the fastest growing agricultural sector in the world, and the annual aquaculture production reached 82 million tonnes in 2018. Fish feed is the most expensive component of aquaculture. The partial replacement of commercial fish feed with biofloc was evaluated as a dietary ingredient in feed for barramundi (Lates calcarifer), a high-value carnivorous fish. Biofloc was produced from the effluent of a recirculating aquaculture system under microaerophilic conditions, as part of its water treatment process, which was based on nutrient assimilation by microbial biomass. The biofloc was harvested and used in fish feed. Experimental feed was prepared by replacing 20% (w/w) of commercial barramundi feed with dry biofloc powder. Six 100-L plastic tanks were stocked with barramundi (average weight 27 ± 0.9 g) at a density of 20 kg/m3. The fish in three tanks were fed a commercial feed and the others with the experimental diet for 8 weeks, at 2% bodyweight per day. The fish were weighed weekly. At the end of the trial, the proximate body compositions and immune functions of the fish were analyzed. Fifteen fish from each treatment were challenged with Vibrio harveyi to examine their disease resistance. Weight gain was 14% higher (p < 0.05) in the control group compared to the biofloc-fed group, but fish fed biofloc showed significantly higher survival rates after bacterial challenge (89% survival) compared to the control (58% survival, p = 0.01). Sera of the biofloc-fed fish had higher levels of lysozyme and myeloperoxidase activity (p < 0.001). Similarly, the expression of immune-related genes in the kidneys was significantly higher in the biofloc-fed fish than in the control (p < 0.05). These results, together with an economic evaluation, demonstrate the potential practical application of biofloc as a feed ingredient in barramundi aquaculture. Further optimization of this practice is required.

Full Article

Projects, Prizes and Fellowships

Israel Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Chief Scientist’s Office

Title: Enhancing beneficial dermatological properties of the halophyte Sarcocornia by manipulating growth conditions

Team: Moshe Sagi (BGU), and Dr. Navit Ogan-Stern (Dead Sea Branch, Desert and Dead Sea R&D)

Abstract:

The halophyte Sarcocornia has great crop potential, due to both its ability to grow in saline conditions and the fact that it is a perennial. Today, Sarcocornia is marketed for food only, as the young and regenerated parts after harvest are in popular demand in gourmet recipes. However, there are periods when marketing is limited i.e., during the summer. Finding dermatological uses during these periods and in plant parts that are not marketed will add value to the cultivation of Sarcocornia and increase crop profitability. Furthermore, halophytic crops can make use of marginal soil and saline irrigation water, which are not suitable for conventional crop production. This is especially relevant in areas with high soil salinity such as the area around the Sodom historical site and the Dead Sea. The overarching goal of the proposed research is to identify how dermatological properties in the extracts of Sarcocornia change as a function of different growth conditions and, importantly, to provide added value to the agricultural crop marketed for human consumption.

Title: Calibrating fertilization rates for date production in Israel: testing optimum rates of fertilization to minimize environmental impacts of the date crop

Team: Ilya Gelfand (BGU, PI), Alon Ben-Gal, and Uri Yermiyahu (ARO, Co-PIs)

Abstract:

Despite the economic and cultural value of date production, little is known about its nitrogen use efficiency and environmental impact. Our project will help to close this knowledge gap and will quantify the nitrogen use efficiency, environmental N losses, and fruit yields in a fully grown date orchard in the Arava Valley. We will use a field experiment with five fertilization levels to find an optimum fertilization regime allowing reduction in the environmental footprint of date production without the yield penalty. This will allow optimizing the environmental and economic performance of date production in the Arava.

Title: Using remote sensing for precise nitrogen fertilization to estimate the spatial variability in yield and fruit quality in avocados

Team:Tarin Paz-Kagan (BGU, PI), Ran Erel (ARO, Co-PI), Shahar Baram (ARO, CI), and Noam Alkan (ARO, CI).

Abstract:

Agricultural productivity is subject to various stressors, including abiotic and biotic threats, many of which are exacerbated by climate change. Identification of key yield determinants will, therefore, provide the ability to predict yield and enhance the ability to manage within-field variability. Furthermore, relationships between resource inputs and yield must be determined to implement zonal management strategies effectively. Accurate and timely yield prediction is critical for growers to manage their farm resources correctly to optimize water, nutrients, and other resources. Yet, yield predictions of tree crops such as avocado orchards are incredibly complex. Hence, the collection and integration of multi-layer heterogeneous large datasets and advanced analytics are needed to generate insights about the key constraints to yield potential at the tree scale. Agricultural inputs (e.g., nitrogen applications) can then be optimized at the field level or in each management zones to maximize yield and profit margins. We will calibrate remote sensing with statistical models guided by machine learning to predict nitrogen values in avocado tree canopies. Later, we will develop artificial intelligence-based models for evaluating the seasonal changes in the nitrogen content and link them to measures of development, yield, and fruit quality in avocados. We will examine the effect of nitrogen fertilization on N2O fluxes from avocado tree leaves. Finally, we will draw up recommendations for sampling in commercial areas and an original decision-making system for optimal nitrogen fertilization regarding the accuracy and timing of fertilization in orchards.

Research agreement with the Israel Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Title: Crop mapping close to real-time in Israel: Development of an artificial intelligence system based on satellite imaging for crop detection

Team: Offer Rozenstein (ARO), Tarin Paz-Kagan (BGU), and Omer Ben Asher (Ministry of Agriculture).

Abstract:

This research aim is to develop a close to real-time approach for deriving a crop mapping based on Sentinel-1-2 image to address global challenges in agriculture and food security and assist with police and management of the agricultural area with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. This study is the first step towards improving crop mapping based on phenological and textural features retrieved from an object-based time series on a national scale. All major crops in Israel will be mapped and classified with more than 30 different crops. Multipl known vegetation indices (VIs)-based time series will be tested, together with texture parameters will be used to develop the system. Additionally, we will compare several widely used machine-learning methods for feature selection and crop classification. Lastly, we will examine two accuracy measures—overall accuracy (OA) and area under the curve (AUC)—to optimally estimate the accuracy in the case of imbalanced class representation.

Israel Innovation Authority

Title: Green, natural coating to improve seed germination and seedling performance utilizing components of agricultural waste

Team: Gideon Grafi (BGU) and Elena Poverenov (ARO, Volcani Institute)

Abstract:

Studies from recent years have shown that dead organs enclosing embryos (DOEEs) are emerging as a major multifunctional component of the dispersal unit that has been uniquely evolved in each plant species in conjunction with its unique habitat to nurture the embryo and to ensure its success in the habitat. Thus, besides providing a physical shield for embryo protection and a means for dispersal, DOEEs function as storage structures for nutrition, proteins, and other regulatory substances that act together as an organized unit to ensure the survival of the embryo during seed storage in the soil, and its proper growth and establishment in the habitat. These characteristics indicate that DOEEs should be viewed as “natural coatings” capable of “engineering the microenvironment” for the benefit of the embryo, the seedling, and the growing plant.

In the present study, we propose to use extracts derived from DOEEs combining them with natural biopolymers to generate a green, nonhazardous coating, as a possible substitute for the commonly used hazardous chemical coating. We expect that this ‘green coating’ will increase the rate and uniformity of seed germination, and resistance to bacterial or fungal pathogens, and will also improve plant growth and development and response to stress.

Israel Ministry of Innovation, Science & Technology

Title: Epigenetic stress memory in grapevine as priming for extreme heat wave events

Team: Ilana Shtein (Eastern R&D Center), Yishai Netzer (Eastern R&D Center), and Gideon Grafi (BGU)

Abstract:

Global warming has increased the frequency of unexpected extreme events (e.g., heat waves), causing heavy losses in agriculture. Moreover, no thorough studies have been conducted in Israel or abroad on intra-seasonal reactions of grapevine to heat waves. Based on our preliminary data, we hypothesize that stress priming induces epigenetic memory, leading to later structural adaptations to stress. We propose to simulate heat waves in vineyard cultivation using established methods, and explore physiological changes, structural adaptations, and the dynamics of epigenetic modifications. The research will focus on epigenetic changes (DNA methylation and histone modifications) and select, for further study, several candidate genes associated with structural responses to stress in grapevine (such as the grapevine transcription factor VvWRKY2, known to induce lignification in response to water stress), and the subsequent changes in the secondary cell wall structure in mature leaf petioles. Ultimately, deep understanding of the epigenetic control of stress response will lead to development of priming-based strategies enabling expression or silencing of specific genes for the purpose of improvement of crop performance, particularly under abiotic stress conditions.

Title: Establishment of the DeserTech National Knowledge Center

Team:Shimon Rachmilevitch (BGU), Lena Novack (Soroka Medical Center), and Ravid Gilad (BGU)

Abstract:

Climate change is exacerbating the challenges of living in arid environments. In response, collaboration between the private sector, academia, civil society, and government in the Negev has led to the establishment of a fast-growing DeserTech ecosystem. The Negev is home to numerous centers actively researching the impact of global change. In addition, a DesertTech entrepreneurial ecosystem has been established with the support of the Merage Foundation, BGU, and the city of Beer-Sheva. The main purpose of the DeserTech Knowledge Center will be to disseminate information about the impact of climate change on arid environments and expand the cooperation between the private and public sectors in the Negev. The center will provide a wide range of services including mapping of DesertTech research, scientific data, and innovation, as well as DeserTech startups and investors. The center will also support cooperation between stakeholders to facilitate the commercialization of DesertTech innovations; hold conferences together with the International Conference on Drylands, Deserts and Desertification at BGU and the UNCCD; publish newsletters and articles; award scholarships to students engaged in DeserTech research; and disseminate information to support Israeli and international policy makers.

Title: An Autonomous System for Monitoring and Treating Aphids in Greenhouses

Team: Guy Shani (BGU, Department of Information Systems Engineering), Shai Arogeti (BGU, Department of Mechanical Engineering), and Vered Tzin, (BGU, FAAB)

Abstract:

Crop plants are continually exposed to herbivore infestation. Insect herbivory is a crucial factor in yield loss and quality degradation in agricultural crop production. One economically significant herbivore is the aphid family (Hemiptera: Aphididae), a piercing-sucking pest that feeds on the phloem sap. Aphids cause damage by consumption of water and nutrients, as well as damage by plant virus transmission. It is thus critical to monitor aphids’ presence as soon as they reach the target plants and apply follow-up treatments. In this project, we suggest constructing an autonomous robotic cart carrying a UV-B emitter on top of a moving arm. The robot navigates in a greenhouse, identifying aphid-infested plants. Then, the robot can direct the UV-B emitter towards the infested leaves, exposing the aphids to UV-B radiation for a pre-determined amount of time. The robot will also be equipped with an RGB sensor, allowing it to identify the aphids and the infestation level, i.e., the number of aphids per area. Thus, the robot has monitoring abilities, e.g., the infestation levels in different parts of the greenhouse. We suggest three orthogonal contributions: (i) developing pest monitoring abilities by analyzing RGB images taken either manually or by an automated cart, (ii) studying the influence of focused UVB radiation on herbivore aphids, and (iii) developing an autonomous cart for providing automated monitoring and eradiation services in greenhouses.

Title: Enhancing the nutritional quality of barley grains to improve the raw material used in the plant-based protein industry

Team: Vered Tzin (BGU), Samuel Bocobza (ARO), and Thomas Girin (INRAE, France)

Abstract:

In the last decade, there has been a high demand for plant-based food products such as meat and egg alternatives and dairy-like products. Companies involved in plant-based products are becoming popular and have attracted financial investments. Plant-based protein extracts are produced from cereals, which provide a cheap protein source but have a low protein quality as compared to animal-based meat. This is due to its low content of essential amino acids, which cannot be synthesized by humans and livestock and must be obtained from their diet. It is crucial to improve in plants the raw materials used by the alternative protein industry and increase the content of essential amino acids. Lysine metabolism and regulation have been intensively studied for many years. Metabolic engineering approaches aimed at increasing lysine content were successfully applied. These approaches took advantage of genetically modified plants, which cannot be broadly used under the current regulations. Additionally, altering lysin levels may be deleterious to the plant because its accumulation may affect the nitrogen balance. In this project, we aim to produce new varieties of high-lysin barley (Hordeum vulgare), which is the fourth staple crop. To this end, genes involved in lysine metabolism will be edited using gene and base editing CRISPR/Cas9 methods, which are considered a non-transgenic approach in many countries. This is a new collaboration between French and Israeli laboratories that have complementary skills in gene editing, barley transformation, plant physiology, lysine metabolism, and nitrogen balance. These improved novel varieties will also be of great use to the industries that develop plant-based alternatives to meat and milk products.

Title: Directed evolution of cyanobacteria to produce balanced food on Mars

Team: Nina Kamennaya (BGU, PI), Nir Keren (Hebrew University, Co-PI)

Abstract:

De novo food production coupled with its efficient recycling is, probably, the only way to man permanent bases on Mars. In this MOST-funded project, we will use directed evolution of Earthly cyanobacteria to grow as food at a pressurized Martian atmosphere.

The Goldman Sonnenfeldt School of Sustainability-KKL Scholarship was awarded to:

M.Sc. Student Asaf Yupiter Vanunu, supervised by Prof. Arnon Karnieli.

Meet the student: Xinze Xu

My name is Xinze Xu, a Ph.D. student supervised by Prof. Jhonathan Ephrath and Prof. Naftali Lazarovitch.
I come from Jilin in the Northeast of China, a province close to the border with North Korea and Russia. I received my bachelor's and master's degrees in Jiangsu Province (eastern China) and Hainan Province (the largest island in the south of China), respectively. Interestingly, my undergraduate, master’s degree, and doctoral studies are in three different areas, namely Applied Chemistry, Phytopathology, and Irrigation and Plant Environment. This multidisciplinary experience in several different directions has brought me many opportunities, but also challenges.

The 8th International Drylands, Deserts and Desertification Conference, 2022

The 8th International Drylands, Deserts and Desertification Conference kicked off Sunday, November 27 with over 1,000 participants and 250 speakers from over 50 countries. These researchers presented their work in 50 panels over five days of scientific and policy meetings, workshops, and tours in the Negev Desert. Earth observation, ecology, economics, ecosystem services, education, energy, food, health, society, and water were among the topics covered in the various sessions.

Highlights from the conference

Sessions and tours organized by institute members

»	Water, Energy, and Carbon Dioxide budgets in desert environments Conveners: Nurit Agam, BGU & Dilia Kool, BGU.

»	Remote Sensing for Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Conveners: Arnon Karnieli, BGU, and Tarin Paz-Kagan, BGU

»	Cyanobacterial Soil Amendment and Restoration Convener: Nina Kamennaya, BGU.

»	Agriculture / Dead Sea Tour, organized by Naftali Lazarovitch,BGU.

»	Viticulture Tour: How Desertification and Climate Change Affect Wine Making, organized by Aaron Fait, BGU

»	Algae-Based Solutions for Food Crisis Challenges Conveners: Dina Zilberg, BGU & Inna Khozin-Goldberg ,BGU.

»	Viticulture in a Changing Climate: Physiology of Stress in Grapevine: Challenges and Solutions Convener: Aaron Fait, BGU & Nurit Agam, BGU

»	Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum: Effect of Rewetting and Drought on Soil Gases Emissions Convener: Ilya Gelfend, BGU.

»	Plant Adjustment to Biotic and Abiotic Stresses in Changing Environments Conveners: Naftali Lazarovitch, BGU & Vered Tzin, BGU.

»	Next Generation Aquaculture Conveners: Dina Zilberg, BGU, and Uri Yogev, National Center for Mariculture (NCM), Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute, Eilat.

Meetings between residents of the Student Village at Ashalim and FAAB researchers

Maintaining personal connections with local communities is a vital component of academic institutes. Moreover, giving back to society positions our institute as a civically and ethically responsible organization. In addition, it paves a path to recruit young, motivated, and engaged students. For the last few months, Prof. Vered Tzin and Dr. Nina Kamennaya have invested time and effort in building a bridge to the Adiel Student Village at Ashalim. Regular informal meetings between residents of the Student Village and FAAB researchers were chosen as the platform for maintaining the relationship. The first meeting with Ashalim Village residents occurred on November 16, 2022. During the meeting, Prof. Tzin, Dr. Kamennaya, Dr. Ilya Gelfand, and Dr. Max Kolton, from our institute, presented their research and discussed current environmental challenges with 30 potential research students.

From the Microalgal Biotechnology Laboratory

Lab members delivered three oral presentations at AlgaeEurope 2022 in December 2022, including the keynote lecture of Sammy Boussiba and two talks by Inna Khozin-Goldberg and Marta Carletti.
Three posters by Hsu Yee Htet, Thanh Van Nguyen, and Marta Carletti, and a talk by Boomie Schlagman were presented at DDD2022.

Conference program

New PhD workshop for FAAB students with Vered Tzin

The goal of this workshop is to expose students to various “soft skills” required in the Ph.D. track. These include critical thinking, getting feedback from peers, giving feedback to peers, improving presentation skills, preparing a perfect CV, getting ready for the next scientific challenge, and more.

Expanding the collaborations on the challenges posed by a changing climate for Mediterranean viticulture, with Prof. Aaron Fait

During the month of November, three separate events emphasized the momentum of the institute’s activities, particularly those related to viticulture in heroic* environments. The first event took place in Milan, Italy, under the auspices of the Regional Council of the Lombardy region. At the symposium, Aaron Fait presented the research being performed at the institute in the viticulture sector and how it can support adapting viticulture in Italy in the coming decades, emphasizing the FAAB and the BIDR’s mission. A second event was the viticulture day within the DDD, when scientists from France, Slovenia (and Italy), the USA, Cyprus, and Israel, shared their results and opinions and found common ground, which is already bearing fruit in one EU action on sustainable viticulture, led by Enrico Battiston of the OIV International Organisation of Vine and Wine and the University of Udine. A final event for this busy November was the visit of rectors from various universities in Italy, spanning from the Northern Piedmont and North-Eastern Trieste, to the southern university of Catania. During the visit, we discussed the possibility of shared students and joint collaborations between the two universities. These events were possible also thanks to the newly borne AISSI, the Association of Italian Scholars and Scientists in Israel.