Ofer Guy

Desert Agro research center ramat R&D Israel

Fifteen years of research and development aimed at the production of high-quality early-winter strawberries in the Negev desert, are concluded. This goal required synchronization of seasonal yields with the peaks of the markets\' demand, November−February. For this purpose, selected infra short-day (ISD) cultivars were used. Rooted plug plants with...

Hairy stork′s-bill (Erodium crassifolium) (HSB) is one of the few Geraniaceae species that produce tubers. While HSB tubers were occasionally used as a food source by desert nomads, they have not yet been taken up in the modern kitchen. Recently, HSB tubers were recognized as harboring potential to become an industrial pharmaceutical crop. The obje...

Emerging needs for diversifying human diet and to explore novel therapeutic procedures have led to increasing attempts to retrieve traditional nourishments and recruit beneficial wild plant species. Species of the genus Erodium (Geraniaceae) harbor medicinal indications and substances known from folklore and scientific research. Hairy stork’s bill...

The desert truffles of the Negev desert in Israel are mycorrhizal fungi forming symbiosis with plants of the Cistaceae family. Truffles are providing important sustenance to populations in arid areas and descriptions of their consumption on clay tablets date back to the Amorites kingdom. To develop new crops for arid zones, we screened the natural...

The ectendomycorrhizal fungus Terfezia boudieri is known to secrete auxin. While some of the effects of fungal auxin on the plant root system have been described, a comprehensive understanding is still lacking. A dual culture system to study pre mycorrhizal signal exchange revealed previously unrecognized root-fungus interaction mediated by the fun...

With globalization in the last century, introduction of exotic plant species for commercial use has become more accessible. Such attempts may involve extreme land changes. We stress that domestication of native species should be preferred to the introduction of exotic species. We took the initial steps in domesticating several species by examining...

A novel system for organic waste stabilization and reuse, combined with production of nitrate-rich liquid fertilizer was developed by manure digestion followed by volatilization of ammonia-rich gas (originating in manure extract) and its nitrification and recovery. This approach has several advantages, including biowaste stabilization and high reco...

The effect of fertigation with half-strength Hoagland-based media with different N sources on the appearance of lettuce plants after 40 days of irrigation. The average N concentration used was 60 mg L−1. The N sources were: a KNO3, b N-free, c end product of the new device (LOFPS), d guano extract

Release of gaseous ammonia from guano extract as continuously measured by gaseous ammonia-specific electrode: a with addition of Ca(OH)2 to raise the pH on day 11, b without addition of Ca