Where: KAUST green house
Description
The Greenhouse of Center for Desert Agriculture at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology has a built-in area of 1600 m2 , divided into head house (500 m2) and plants growing area (1100 m2). The plants growing area is divided into 18 growth rooms (7.5 X 5.8 m) and each room has an independent control system to set temperature, light intensity, photoperiod, humidity etc., and is monitored through an Argus control. The head house is housed with bio chambers, cold room sterilizer, biological safety cabinet and other equipment needed in the greenhouse. Establishing seed (germplasm) storage/conservation facility, and a seawater and partially desalinated water facility to domesticate/assess the salinity tolerance of plants and crops is being made available in the greenhouse. Projects being executed now in the greenhouse Soil salinity, which inhibits plant growth and decreases crop yield is a serious and chronic problem for agricultural production. Improving plant salt tolerance/domestication of naturally salt tolerant halophytes is a feasible way to use unutilized coastal saline desert and seawater for productivity. Experiments with grain species Distichlis (wild wheat) and oil seed Salicornia (glasswort) have shown excellent nutritional properties, and demonstrated the potential to grow in such harsh environments with reasonable yield potential (Glenn et al 1991, Yensen & Weber 1986, 1987). Cultivation of halophyte species like Salicornia, Distichlis and other potential halophytes is important to Saudi Arabia as it offers a strategic source of vegetable oil, food and other support products like fodder, and forage on saline soils irrigated with seawater. The cultivation would also help to counter the global greenhouse effect by absorbing a large amount of carbon dioxide from the air. Screening of wild tomato germplasm for environmental stresses, understanding their tolerance mechanisms for further improvement is also in progress. During the course of the tour the importance of saline agriculture and efforts made in the Center for Desert Agriculture will be explained. Attendees should meet at the greenhouse 5 minutes prior to the start time. http://cda.kaust.edu.sa/Pages/KAUST greenhouse.aspx
Muppala P.Reddy
Muppala Reddy earned his PhD in Plant Stress Physiology from Gujarat University, India. Worked in CSIR, New Delhi, India, for 25 years as a scientist in different capacities and joined KAUST in 2009 as director of Greenhouses. From 1997-2000 worked as visiting scientist in Center for Environmental Stress physiology, Purdue University, USA. He has published over 70 articles in peer-reviewed international journals. Awardee of Daimler Chrysler Environmental Leadership (Germany). Research focus: Utilization of coastal saline soils, semi-arid lands and seawater for sustainable agriculture.
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