Biological Diversity and Agroecology Team
Dr.Ora Moshe
Position: Research scientist, Soil Conservation Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Departmental affiliation: Soil Erosion Research Station, Soil Conservation Division,
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Phone numbers: 972-58-4848700
Email address: feliciaorah@gmail.com
Member of the following teams:
Biological Diversity and Agroecology
Position: Research scientist, Entomology Unit, Newe Ya’ar Research Center.
Departmental affiliation: Dept. of Entomology and Nematology, Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Institute.
Phone numbers: 972-4-9539546 | 972-50-6220111
Email address: palevsky@volcani.agri.gov.il
A personal note:
Generalist predatory mites have the potential to control soil pests.
To realize this potential, food webs must be in place to conserve predator abundance prior to pest arrival.
Free living nematodes play an important role in the conservation of predators.
My aim is to identify and evaluate methods to preserve and maintain free living nematodes in natural soils and in soils adopting sustainable agricultural practices.
Member of the following teams:
Biological Diversity and Agroecology
Position: Research scientist, Soil Conservation Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Departmental affiliation: Soil Erosion Research Station, Soil Conservation Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Phone numbers: 972-50-6241816
Email address: eshelgil@gmail.com
A personal note:
Conservation agriculture is an agricultural practice promoted worldwide as it ensures the preservation of productivity and food security coupled with reduction in the negative impacts of agriculture on soil health and the environment.
This practice includes three main principles: minimum soil disturbance, maximum soil cover, and crop rotation.
Due to the excessive demand for plant biomass in Israel for animal feeding, the promotion of continuous soil mulching with plants and plants residue in filed crops is a major challenge.
In the model farm, we will test and examine the benefits of maintaining the conservation agriculture approach in Israel.
Member of the following teams:
Field Crops | Soil Conservation and Planning | Biological Diversity and Agroecology
Position: Research scientist, Agroecology Lab, Newe Ya’ar Research Center.
Departmental affiliation: Department of Natural Resources, Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Institute.
Phone numbers: 972-3-9683925
Email address: asafsa@volcani.agri.gov.il
A personal note:
The Model Farm is a unique platform for long-term aboveground and belowground ecological research in a whole farm setting.
The platform involves long-term experimental setups, through which we will develop and test sustainable agricultural approaches suitable to local Mediterranean conditions and in an economic context. These practices are aimed at enhancing ecosystem services such as agricultural pest and disease control, soil health, and habitat and biodiversity conservation.
The Model Farm welcomes collaborations with ecologists of all research fields and institutions, in Israel and abroad – all are invited to take advantage of the site’s experimental array to conduct ecological research in their respective fields, enjoy multi-disciplinary collaboration, and contribute to the long-term database that is being accumulated..
Member of the following teams:
Plant Protection | Microbial Genomics | Field Crops | Soil Conservation and Planning | Biological Diversity and Agroecology
Position: Head, Scientific Committee of the Model Farm, Newe Ya’ar Research Center.
Departmental affiliation: Department of Soil Chemistry, Plant Nutrition and Microbiology, Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Institute.
Phone numbers: 972-4-9539539 | 972-50-6220038
Email address: laor@volcani.agri.gov.il
A personal note:
As a member of the “founders group” and as the actual scientific director of the Model Farm, I find the fascinating challenge in defining the goals and in paving the way for action.
The day-to-day relationship with professional partners in many different fields makes me believe that this dream of establishing this unique Model Farm is really coming true!
Member of the following teams:
Plant Protection | Field Crops | Soil Conservation and Planning | Precision Agriculture | Archiving Samples | Feedlot and Waste Recycling | Biological Diversity and Agroecology | Fertilization | Irrigation
