Research for Tomorrow’s Agriculture

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

ORGANIZATION (ARO)

Excellence in research and development

for the promotion of agriculture

and the protection of the environment

Our Vision

Field experiment, 1926

Newe Yaar, 1950Tel Aviv, 1926

The ARO was

established in 1921,

through the vision and

leadership of Yishak

Elazari Vilkansky –

Volcani

Today the ARO represents the largest

agricultural research institute, covering over

70% of the agricultural research in Israel

• 184 Research scientists (Ph.D)

• 390 Research staff (Engineers & Technicians)

• 140 Administrative staff

• 220 Graduate Students (Master, Doctoral)

• 40 Foreign Visiting trainees

Soil, Water &

Environmental

Science Institute

Animal

Science Institute

Plant

Science Institute

Postharvest & Food

Science Institute

Plant Protection

Institute

Agricultural

Engineering

Institute

Newe Ya’ar

Research Center

North

Gilat

Research Center

South

Organizational Framework of the AROSix Institutes in the Bet Dagan Campus and two Research

Centers in the North and South

Assimilating agricultural applications

Commercializing

traditional sectorsExtending the

fruiting season

Olive commercial orchard.

New varieties are adapted

for mechanical harvest

using tapered trailing

tractors

The apricot season is very

short – development of early

and late cultivars extend the

fruiting season

Solving the farmer’s agricultural problems

whilst maintaining sustainable agriculture

• Increasing soil fertility

• Protecting soil structure

• Preventing runoff and soil erosion

• Preventing soil contamination

Soil and water conservation

Development of a wide range of new products for

the consumer with emphasis on: Augmentation of

health components, improving taste qualities &

increasing shelf life

Providing solutions for current and

future global crises: Food, water,

energy and climate

Global warming

Solutions to cope with rising

temperatures in forestsBroadening the use of

colored netting

Acclimating varieties for

desert conditions and

increasing resistance to

heat stress

in the orchard Pomegranate Top:

Arava Region.

resistant tomatoes -: HeatBottom

unaffected during ripening

Top: region before forestation

Bottom: region after

Nets diffract light and affect

the physiology of the plant thereby

increasing yield and

reducing pest infestations.

Global Food Crisis

Intensive pool aquacultures using healthy and less

costly solutions for reproduction and feeding, thereby

overcoming the diminishing deep sea fishing.

The use of specialized wheat varieties, adapted for

animal feed thereby reducing competition with edible

wheat varieties.

Development of new green & black chickpea varieties

with high health qualities and a potential at becoming

a leading crop production.

Use of Sensors

The sensor electronically

“reports” on transpiration

levels to the farmer through

computer or cellular phone.

Sensor in tree

Precision Agriculture

Use of thermal imaging via

satellite for a real-time

image of otherwise

undetected irrigation levels

Orange area shows normal

irrigation. Magenta area

shows over-irrigation.

Dwindling of water resources

Use of recycled

water for irrigation

of orchard.

80% of orchards in the

Negev are irrigated

using recycled water.

Orchard planted on desert

soil in the Gilat Research

Center

BiodieselDevelopment of Jatropha and Castor varieties containing a high

percentage of oil for use as an alternative energy source. These

inedible plants are irrigated with recycled water and grown on

marginal soils.

From right to left: Jatropha in the field, flowering Jatropha, castor plants in the field, seeds and oil from Jastropha.

Energy Crisis

Reduction in manpower for agriculture

To reduce labor costs in agriculture the trend is to develop

mechanization with the aim of reducing manpower for agriculture.

These have succeeded in agricultural farms in Israel and worldwide.

Robotic arm that

is able to identify

and trim branches.

A spraying robot.

The activated

robot works

independently of

human intervention.

This machine is able to

separate arils

independently and has

also enabled the

development of

products that were

previously unknown

(pomegranate oil and

cosmetics).

Protection of the Environment

Sea transport as

alternative to air

transport

Reduction in the use of

chemicals for control

Recycling Agricultural Waste

Waste produced from the newly

developed pomegranate sector is used

as an additive to cattle feed with a

resultant increase in milk yield and an

increase in the levels of Omega 3. An

elegant solution for recycling waste.

Aiming at reductions in air

pollution & costs, research for

longer shelf life has progressed

and many new products can be

exported via sea transport.

Natural mint oil replaces chemicals

to inhibit sprouting in potatoes

during storage.

Picture on right shows treated

potatoes after a few weeks

compared to the picture on the left

showing untreated sprouting

potatoes

Food Quality & Safety

Improving the safety of fresh agricultural products

• Understanding the survival strategies

of human pathogenic bacteria in the

agricultural environment (soil, drinking

water, plant)

• Development of “clever” packaging and

surfaces with antimicrobial activity

• Biofilm research in food industry - a

bacterial survival strategy

• Development of novel methods for the

prevention of contamination in leafy

vegetables and sprouts.

Lettuce fieldSalmonella on stomata

of lettuce leaves

Bacterial biofilm on

plastic surface

Preventing contamination through the food chain – from field to table

Transgenic tomato “immune”

to CMV infection

Inoculated control Transgenic resistance

Development of transgenic plants resistant

to several important plant viruses

Tomato lines, immune to Cucumber

mosaic virus (CMV),Tomato yellow leaf

curl virus (TYLCV), Pepino Mosaic virus

(PepMV) were produced.

Tissue Culture

Plant tissue culture enables the differentiation of

whole plants from a single cell. This technique

facilitates the propagation of plants, genetically

identical to the mother plant. This also allows for the

production of transgenic plants containing foreign

DNA that bestows desirable traits.

The picture demonstrates transgenic plants

differentiating from leaf sections of a mother plant.

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Agricultural Research Organization – The Volcani Center

Active on behalf of…

Gene BankActive on behalf of future generations

Collection Separation and identification Cataloging & preparing for storage Cold-storage

Aims: • Preserving biological diversity •Characterizing genetic seed traits • Saving species

from extinction •Advancing & supporting agricultural, medicinal & industrial research

Youth activities unitActive on behalf of future education in agricultural sciences

The teaching experience enables the integration of active research scientists

and state-of-the-art scientific methodologies for the advancement of

education in the agricultural sciences

Participating in

laboratories within the

framework of one year

research projects

Marketing of organic

produce by members

of youth group

Summer camp for excelling

science students

The unit acts as a center for training elementary & high school students and teachers

Cultivation of

agricultural plot by

under-privileged youth

Involvement in international courses for international trainees,

particularly from developing countries

International Cooperation

Active on behalf of global knowledge Involvement in collaborative research projects with several countries

Commercialization of Products

“Kidum”Assignation of Agricultural R & D

Kidum is an autonomous unit managing the ARO’s business related activities

kidum@volcani.agri.gov.il

http://www.agri.gov.il/en/departments/77.aspx

Evaluation of

commercial

feasibility

of projects

Handling of

joint ARO &

Industry

R & D projects

Licensing of

rights related

to intellectual

property

Agricultural Research Organization –

The Volcani Center

Inventing Tomorrow