Water availability is the limiting factor for extensive irrigated production in large areas of the Middle-East including Palestine. Maintained and increased productivity in the region requires utilization of marginal water, mainly treated effluent for irrigation.
Effluent contains high levels of salts and heavy metals, which might be harmful to crops. Economic production systems based on effluent irrigation therefore depend on identification of tolerant cultivars, capable of high yield under these conditions.
Traditional usage and cultivation of local aromatic plants in the Middle-East is well documented throughout history. Increased world-wide demand for natural essential-oils and antioxidant products from aromatic plants brings about the opportunity to assist the farmers to develop production systems of aromatics, suitable for industrial- agriculture for export and generation of higher income. Since aromatic plants require substantial amounts of water, their utilization is restricted today by water shortage. Application of treated effluents for their irrigation will remove the production constraints and allow development of large-scale industro-cultivation systems.
The overall goal of the present project is to develop agro-industrial production of aromatic plants, under irrigation with local treated effluent in the middle-East.
We will test effects of the treated effluent, on development of aromatic crops; on the quantity and quality of their essential oils and natural antioxidant yield and begin optimization of agro-techniques for utilization of effluent for their irrigation.
Potable water and secondary treated effluent will be evaluated for their effects on Rosmarinus officinalis, Origanum syriacum, Mentha spicata, Micromeria fruticosa, and Salvia fruticosa.
Development of high- output production systems of aromatic crops under irrigation with the local effluent will contribute significantly to economic development and job creation in rural communities in our region.
The overall aim of this project is to develop agro-industrial production systems of aromatic plants, suitable for the harsh conditions imposed by irrigation with local treated effluent water in the semi-arid and arid regions of Palestine. Shortage of good-quality water in the Middle-East prevents cultivation of aromatic plants for essential oil production in numerous countries including Palestine. In this project, we aim to identify aromatic crops suitable for irrigation with effluents and thereby facilitate high-output production systems that can contribute significantly to economic development and job creation in rural communities. Towards this end, we have identified three specific objectives:
- Identification of aromatic plants suitable for irrigation with treated effluents: In a three-year field study, to test the cumulative effects of the local treated effluents available in Palestine, on growth and development of nine aromatic crop plants.
- Evaluation of the effect of the effluents on yield production: To quantify the effect of the effluents on quantity and quality of essential oil yield, and biomass production of the aromatic crops tested.
- Optimization of agro-techniques for utilization of effluents for cultivation of aromatic plants: To begin optimization of fertilization regimes for cultivation of aromatic plants with effluents.
Articles:
- Ali-Shtayeh M. S., Jamous R. M., Abu-Zaitoun S. Y., Akkawi R. J., Kalbouneh S. R., Bernstein N., Dudai N. Chemical profile and bioactive properties of the essential oil isolated from Clinopodium serpyllifolium (M.Bieb.) Kuntze growing in Palestine. Industrial Crops & Products 124 (2018) 617–625.
- Ali-Shtayeh M. S., Jamous R. M., Abu-Zaitoun S. Y., Akkawi R. J., Kalbouneh S. R., Dudai N., Bernstein N. Secondary treated effluent irrigation did not impact chemical composition, and enzyme inhibition activities of essential oils from Origanum syriacum var. syriacum. Industrial Crops & Products 111 (2018) pp. 775-786.
Thesis:
Rola Jamal Abed-Elmajeed Akkawi (2018). Antioxidant and anticholinesterase potentials of essential oils of selected aromatic plants under secondary treated effluent irrigation. MSc thesis, An-Najah University, Nablus.
Conferences:
- M. S. Ali-Shtayeh, R. M. Jamous, S. Y. Abu Zaitoun, R. J. Akkawi, S.R. Kalbouneh, Secondary treated effluent irrigation did not impact chemical composition, antioxidant, antibacterial, and enzyme inhibition activities of essential oils from Origanum syriacum var. syriacum. BERC 5th Conference on Wastewater reuse for irrigation of non-food crop plants in Palestine 2017 (BERC-FSC2017), At Alqasr Hotel, Univ. Str., Nablus, Palestine. Ocrober 14, 2017 (https://berc2017.wixsite.com/berc5th-conf-2017)
- S. Y. Abu Zaitoun, R. M. Jamous, R.J. Akkawi, S. R. Kalbouneh, M. S. Ali-Shtayeh, Wastewater reuse for irrigation of aromatic plants: an additive promising economical source in rich high-quality largescale production of essential oil. BERC 5th Conference on Wastewater reuse for irrigation of nonfood crop plants in Palestine 2017 (BERC-FSC2017), At Alqasr Hotel, Univ. Str., Nablus, Palestine. October 14,2017 (https://berc2017.wixsite.com/berc-5th-conf-2017)
- R. J Akkawi, A. Sawafta, R.M Jamous, S. Y. Abu Zaitoun, A. I. Hussein, S. R. Kalbouneh, M. S. Ali-Shtayeh. Wastewater reuse for irrigation of industrial crop plants in Palestine: Effect on bioactivity potentials of selected aromatic plants. BERC 5th Conference on Wastewater reuse for irrigation of non-food crop plants in Palestine 2017 (BERC-FSC2017), At Alqasr Hotel, Univ. Str., Nablus, Palestine. Ocrober 14,2017 (https://berc2017.wixsite.com/berc-5th-conf-2017)
- R. M. Jamous, S.Y. Abu Zaitoun, R. J. Akkawi, S. R. Kalbouneh, M. S. Ali-Shtayeh Development of aromatic plant production systems tolerant to irrigation with treated effluents. BERC 5th Conference on Wastewater reuse for irrigation of non-food crop plants in Palestine 2017 (BERCFSC2017), At Alqasr Hotel, Univ. Str., Nablus, Palestine. Ocrober 14,2017 ( https://berc2017.wixsite.com/berc-5th-conf-2017)
- M. S. Ali-Shtayeh, R. M. Jamous, S. Y. Abu Zaitoun, R. J. Akkawi, Chemical composition, antioxidant, antibacterial, and enzyme inhibition activities of essential oils of Origanum syriacum var. syriacum growing under secondary treated effluent irrigation. International Conference on Science and Society: Biopiracy and Phytomedicine (ICSS 2017)., Hilton Hotel & Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. July 24-28, 2017 ICSS; 07/2017
- S. Y. Abu Zaitoun, R. M. Jamous, R. J. Akkawi, Samer R. Kalbouneh , M. S. Ali-Shtayeh: Chemical composition, anti-obesity, anti-cholinesterase and antioxidant activities of essential oils from four Palestinian aromatic plants under secondary treated effluent irrigation.. International Conference on Science and Society: Biopiracy and Phytomedicine (ICSS 2017)., Hilton Hotel & Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. July 24-28, 2017; 07/2017
- R. J. Akkawi, A. Sawafta, R. M. Jamous, S. Y. Abu Zaitoun, A.I. Husein, S. R. Kalbouneh, M. S. Ali-Shtayeh Effect of irrigation with secondary treated effluent on antioxidant and anti-cholinestrase activities of essential oils from Mentha spicata. Second Palestinian International Graduate Conference on Natural, Medical and Health Sciences and Humanities (SPIGCNMHSH 2017), An-Najah National University, Nablus; 04/2017
- M. S. Ali-Shtayeh, R. M. Jamous, S. Y. Abu Zaitoun, R. J. Akkawi, A. I. Hussein, & S. R. Kalbouneh (2016). Development of aromatic plant production systems tolerant to irrigation with treated effluents. USAID Middle East Research Partnerships Forum, Amman, Jordan, Grand Hyatt Hotel, March 13th – 16th, 2016.