Amir,J.,Krikun,J.,Orion,D.,Putter,H.,Mufradi, I.,Kleitman,S.,Asido,S.

The objective of this project was to evaluate new agronomic strategies which might improve the water use efficiency of wheat in an arid environment. Among the important findings and accomplishments:

1. The discovery that the fallow management effect, of 104-220% more grain when compared with the continuous wheat cropping system, could not be attributed to stored soil water, since the fallow in the Negev-Beer-Sheva are is ‘dry’ (without available soil water). It was demonstrated that the beneficial effect of fallowing is the control of soil-borne pathogens. When the biocide methane-sodium was used to control soil pathogens, similar increases in yields were obtained with continuous wheat cropping management.

2. Another important finding of this study, was that the significant increase in yield after fallow period gradually disappeared in years with rainfall above 300 mm. This finding was the basis for the latest development – a new strategy for Negev dry land agriculture – which bypasses the soil sanitation problem by using no-till and mulch technology. By this new technology, two central problems that cause crop failures in arid regions (250mm and less annual rainfall), namely high soil evaporation losses and root pathogen damage, have been solved. In the last four years experience with the new technology, the rain water use efficiency (WUE) of continuous wheat has been improved from 0.5kg grain per 1000m2 per mm of rain to 1.0kg, which is equal to the WUE obtained from the fallow-wheat cropping system. However, 1993/1994 growing season was a severe drought year, caused by 163mm rainfall. Fields subjected to the new technology yielded 298kg of grain per 1000m2 in continuous wheat management, or WUE of 1.82kg of grain per 1000m2 per mm of rain. From a basic and applicative scientific point of view, this is a real break-through in the drought research, which allows production of economical cereal yield in drought prone regions. This achievement should be of enormous importance to alleviating world famine, the consequence of drought and improving the desertification process in arid zones.

3.In contrast to the unclear situation under dry land conditions in regard to the role of specific soil pathogens, it was found that under irrigation conditions the main soil pathogen was the fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritid (Ggt). The Ggt was discovered for the first time in the Middle East in our multi factor experiments.

 

Amir, J. and Vanunu, E. (1980). The effect of continuous wheat growth on. the wheat yields in the Negev. Gan Sade V’Meshek No. 10:1.4-22 (in

Hebrew). .

 

Amir, J. and Vanunu, E. (1980). Methods for continuous wheat growth on

the sandy soil of the Negev. Gan Sade V’Meshek No. 12: 9-15 (in

Hebrew).

Amir, J., Vanunu, E., Krikun, J., Orion, H.M., Penuel, D., Satki, Y.M. and

Lerner, A. (1981). Long-term experiment on dry-farming in the Negev

d~sert (1974-1980). A. The effect of continuous wheat system in a semi-

arid region. Hassadeh 62: 198-204 (in Hebrew with English abstract).

Amir, J., Vanunu, E., Krikun, H., Orion, D., Penuel, Y., Satki, Y. and Lerner,

A. (1981). Long-term experiment on dry-farming in the Negev desert.

B. The effect of winter fallowing in a semi-arid region. Hassadeh 62:

393-398 (in Hebrew with English abstract).

Amir, J., Vanunu, E., Krikun, J., Orion, D., Penuel, Y., Satki, Y. and Lerner,

A. (1981). Long-term experiment on dry-farming in the Negev desert.

C. Cereal nitrogen economy in a semi-arid region. Hassadeh62: 570-

576 (in Hebrew with English abstract).

Amir, J., Carmi, 5., Krikun, J. and Orion, D. (1982). Wheat agrotechnology

under arid conditions. Abstract of paper presented at the ‘Gilfrid’

workshop on wheat, Tel Aviv.

Orion, D., Krikun, J. and Amir, J. (1982). Population dynamics of

‘ Pratylellchus thornei and its effect on wheat in a semi-arid region.

Abstract of paper presented at the meeting of UK Plant Pathology Society, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.

Cohen, R., Krikun,J. and Amir,J. (1983). Take-alldisease in Israel.

. Hassadeh 63: 1182-1183. .

Orion, D., Amir, J. and Krikun, J. (1983). The nematode Pratylellchus thornei a dangerous pest to wheat in the Negev. Hassndeh63: 28-30.

Amir, J. (1984). Innovative management lor minimizing draught etlect in the Negev. Hnssadeh64: 1956-1960.

Amir, J., Krikun, J., Mufradi, I., Klitman, S. and Asido, 5.'(1987). Effect of soil sanitation conditions on wheat yields in the Negev. Israel Agresearc111: 15-21.

Amir, J., Krikun, J., Mufradi, I., Klitman, S. and Asido, S. (1987). Effect of soil sanitation conditions on wheat yields in the Negev. Israel

Agresearch1: 15-21.

Amir, J. Krikun, J., Orion, D. and Putter, J. (1988). Dry farming in an arid

environment. In: Unger, P., Sneed, T., Tordan, E. and Jensen, R. (eds.).

Challenges in Dryland Agriculture. Texas Agricultural Experiment

Station. pp. 183-186.

Amir, J. (1988). Promising technologies for arid zone crops. Water Irrig.

Rev.7: 19-21.

Amir, J., Krikun, J., Orion, D. and Putter, J. (1991). Dry farming in an arid

environment. 1. Water use efficiency of wheat management practices. Field Crops Res. 27: 351-364.

Amir, J., Krikun, J., Orion, D., Putter, H. and Klitman, S. (1991). Dry

farming in an arid environment. 2. The role of soil pathogens. Field

Crops Res. 27: 365-376.

Orion, D., Amir, J. and Krikun, J. (1993). Field observation on Pratylencus

thornei.. Rev. Nematol. 7: 341-345.

Amir, J., Mufradi, 1., Klitman, S. and Asido, S. (1993). Long-term

Comparitive study of soil nitrate test, Gilat plant indicator method and

wheat nitrogen uptake. Plant and Soil158: 223-231.

Amir, J. and Sinclair, T.R. (1994): Cereal grain yield: Biblical aspirations

and modern experience in the Middle East. Agronomy J. 86: 326-364

Amir, J. (1994):. Impact of crop rotation on soil erosion and rehabilitation.

In: Agassi, M. (ed.). Soil Erosion, Conservation and Rehabilitation.

Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York

Amir, J. (1994). Brought up-to-date the introductory chapter in the winter

cereal production. In: The Encyc1opedia of Agriculture. 4:51-58

Amir, J. (1994). Brought up-to-date the wheat chapter.

In: The Encyclopedia of Agriculture. 4:58-67

 

Amir, J., Krikun, J., Gnizi, A., Penuel, Y., Naptaliyahu, U., Mufradi, I.,

Klitman, S. and Asido, S. (1995). Long-term experiment on dryland

farming in the Negev. Gan Sade V’Mesllek . 3:19-22

Amir ,J(1996) . A new technology of non-tillage and soil covering in Negev cereal culture.Hassadeh 76:51-56

Amir,J., Thomas R. Sinclair (1996)A straw mulch system to allow continuous wheat production in an arid climate .Field Crops Res.47:21-31

Amir ,J., Thomas R. Sinclair (1996)Cereal cyst nematode effects on wheat water use, and on root and shoot growth .Field Crops Res 47:13-16-9

No’am G. Seligman,Abraham Blum,Josep Morin and Jacob Amir(1997)

Agricultural development in Israel: Challenges and opportunities for

regional collaboration. In:American Journal of Alternative Agr.12:120-124

Amir, J. and T. R. Sinclair (1997)Doubled wheat production in an arid environment using conservation tillage. Tred in Agronomy 1:46-50