A KAUST and King Abdulaziz University research team is using superhydrophobic sand to grow crops like tomatoes with less water. Superhydrophobic sand reduces water consumption in agriculture, the world's largest consumer of freshwater. The sand was developed by KAUST's Himanshu Mishra and Ph.D. student Adair Gallo Junior. Why it matters: This research offers a promising solution for water conservation in agriculture, especially in arid regions like the Arabian Peninsula, addressing critical water security challenges.
KAUST's Center of Excellence for Sustainable Food Security (CoE-SFS) has launched 12 translation projects focused on plant growth and water security, establishing partnerships with public and private entities to scale up research. Mark Tester's team developed stress-tolerant rootstocks, grafted onto crops like tomatoes, that thrive in hot, dry conditions with increased yields. Through his start-up Iyris, Tester is conducting commercial field trials in over 12 countries. Why it matters: These efforts to adapt agriculture to environmental change are crucial for ensuring food security in Saudi Arabia, the region, and globally, especially in the face of climate change and limited water resources.
KAUST's Salt Lab, led by Professor Mark Tester, is researching how salt-tolerant plants survive in harsh environments. The lab aims to improve plant yields in suboptimal conditions, focusing on naturally occurring variability in plants to enhance salinity tolerance. With 70% of global water used for agriculture and increasing water scarcity, the research seeks to unlock the potential of seawater for irrigation. Why it matters: Enhancing the salinity tolerance of crops is crucial for addressing food security challenges exacerbated by climate change and the growing global population, particularly in arid regions like the Middle East.
KAUST's Center for Desert Agriculture is holding an international conference on November 3-5, 2014, focusing on desert rhizosphere microbes for sustainable agriculture. Researchers aim to understand how plants survive in extreme conditions by studying microbes that help them tolerate heat, drought, and salt. They will explore genetic engineering and natural microbe usage to improve crop performance under heightened stress conditions. Why it matters: This research is critical for adapting agricultural systems to global warming and meeting future food production challenges in arid regions like the Middle East.
KAUST researchers led by Mark Tester are developing new irrigation technology to enable crop production using semi-saline water, aiming to reduce freshwater reliance to 10% in greenhouse systems. The technology is eco-friendly and intends to cut agricultural costs by utilizing seawater, targeting a cost of 10 U.S. cents per cubic meter. A new company named Red Sea Farms is being developed to grow salt-tolerant tomatoes in diluted seawater in a greenhouse cooled with undiluted seawater. Why it matters: This research could significantly reduce pressure on freshwater resources in arid regions and offers a sustainable approach to increase food production using available seawater.