Author: Yoram Zvieli

Yoram Zvieli

MSc. Agr. Dip' in Extension Studies. Consultant to the Arava growers since 1987. Disseminating the latest knowledge and training farmers in the Arava and Sodom Valley, in the vegetable production area, in open fields and protected cultivation. Specializing in different growing methods in soil and substrates. Knowledge transfer is made through frontal training, group seminars, and other meetings, writing professional leaflets and distribution to farmers. Editor of growth calculations, Director of Arava R&D web site content, editor of the R&D reports and publications. Expertise in crops of pepper, tomato, melon, watermelon, eggplant, artichokes and more. Member in the R&D vegetable research team, responsible of the pepper variety trials and more.

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Recent Publications

• 12

  years

  ago
  Comparison of rootstocks for melon cultivation, Sodom Valley

  Vegetables

  by Yoram Zvieli

  תחום או ענף ירקות
  תאריך עדכון 29/9/2011

  תיאור מלא Comparison of rootstocks for melon cultivation, Sodom Valley

  Yoram Zvieli, Rivka Offenbach, Ami Maduel, Moran Kapun Patael, Rami Golan, Israel Tzabari – Central and Northern Arava R&D
  Eviatar Ityel, Shimshon Omer – Extension Service (Sha'am) Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
  Amnon Koren – Hishtil Nurseries

  Email for correspondence: yzvieli@arava.co.il

  The practice of growing grafted melons, which was developed in response to the serious, widespread problem of collapse in melon, is relatively new. In contrast, the use of grafted watermelon has been widespread for a number of years and has been quite successful. The use of grafted melon is faced with the problem of incompatibility, which is expressed through the development of defects in guided melon crops and collapse in trellised melon. Preliminary observations suggest that it might be possible to solve these problems through the development of agro-techniques that allow the cultivation of grafted melon during most seasons of the year by providing the growing conditions necessary for the optimal development of the crop’s root system.
  In an experiment carried out at the Zohar Research Station in Sodom Valley, we tested melon grafted onto nine different rootstocks, from Israeli and foreign development programs, that have improved disease resistance. From our monitoring of the development of the plants in this experiment, it appears that grafted plants develop more slowly than regular melon plants. We attribute this to the effect of high soil temperatures during the fall, which are more problematic for grafted plants. The examined rootstocks included 1042 and TZ148 (the control rootstock), which have moderate growth and among which no collapse was observed. Among the tested rootstocks, 1903 and PG14 stood out for their vigorous growth and the absence of any collapse.
  We did not observe any significant differences in yield among the different rootstock treatments, except for the inferior yield of the rootstock GAD. The overall yields of the other examined rootstocks ranged from 3.7 to 4.0 kg/m2 and the export-quality yields ranged from 2.4 to 3.0 kg/m2. Among the examined rootstocks, 1903 and PG14 stood out for their high yields. We did not find any notable differences in the distribution of fruit defects on the day of harvest among the different rootstocks, nor did we observe any differences in the quality of the fruits from the different treatments following a storage period.
  The grafted melon was transplanted at a stand density of 780 plants per dunam and produced a quantity of export-quality yield that was 50% higher than that of regular plants grown at the planting density typically used for that cultivar (3,120 plants per dunam). A calculation of the yield per plant shows that a regular 1625 melon plant yielded about 1.3 kg of export-quality fruit, as compared with 3.85 kg of export-quality fruit per grafted 1625 plant (average across all rootstocks). The additional yield of the grafted plants was expressed in the form of larger fruit, as well as greater numbers of fruit. The relatively late ripening observed among the grafted plants, as compared to the regular melon plants, appears to be due to high soil temperatures. In light of the good yield results observed for the grafted melon, these rootstocks should be included in an additional variety testing program and tested in a limited number of commercial plots.

  Acknowledgements
  We would like to thank the Hazera, Zeraim Technologies, Samco and Tarsis companies and the Cultivar Development staff of Neve Yaar for working with us on this project and for helping to fund this study. We would also like to thank the Vegetable Division of the Plant Board for their support of this study and Hishtil Nurseries for their much-appreciated help with grafting and for contributing the plants.

  שפה English
  מלות מפתח Cucumis melo, melon, yield, fruit quality, grafted plants, grafting
  מחבר Yoram Zvieli, Rivka Offenbach, Ami Maduel, Moran Kapun Patael, Rami Golan, Israel Tzabari, Eviatar Ityel, Shimshon Omer, Amnon Koren
  שנה 2010
  שייכות yzvieli
  תאריך יצירה 29/9/2011
  תאריך עדכון 29/9/2011

  OPEN
• 14

  years

  ago
  Pepper cultivar trail in a walk in tunnel, Zohar research station, Sodom Valley 2007/8

  Vegetables

  by Yoram Zvieli

  תחום או ענף ירקות
  תאריך עדכון 24/1/2009

  תיאור מלא In the 2007/8 growing season, pepper production in walk-in tunnels covered an area of 2,000 dunams (200 hectares) in the central Arava and Sodom Valley, among the 16,000 dunams of pepper production in this area. Most of the tunnels were located in Sodom Valley. This area occupies a unique niche, with a climate that is well-suited to pepper production. The particularly mild winters in this area allow for continued vegetative growth and fruit setting. This year, as every year, a cultivar trial was conducted at the Zohar Research Station in Sodom Valley, which included cultivars developed in Israel as well as cultivars from foreign companies. The pepper cultivars were transplanted (10 September 2007) in a walk-in tunnel (with a 6.40 m opening) covered with polyethylene. The tunnel was covered with an additional shade net for the first month after transplanting. The experiment included 29 red cultivars, 10 yellow cultivars and 4 orange cultivars. The plants in the tunnel were arranged in individual rows along the length of the side walls and in three pairs of internal rows. Harvesting began on 23 December 2007 and continued through 13 May 2008; there were 12 harvests in all, and 142 harvest days. The fruit was sorted according to the accepted export standards. Export-quality fruit was stored at the Quality Laboratory at the Yair Research Situation, in a situation that simulated the conditions under which exported fruit is stored and transported. The fruit was stored for 17 days at 7ºC and 95% relative humidity and for three days at 20ºC. The fruit was then re-examined to determine its shelf-life and quality after storage. The overall yield of the cultivars in the trial ranged from 8.0 to 11.6 kg/m2, with no clear differences between cultivars. The yield of export-quality fruit ranged from 3.7 to 6.8 kg/m2, with clear differences between some of the cultivars. Of the yellow cultivars that were examined, Ballet 4405 (Limona), which is an early-ripening cultivar, had a high yield, produced good quality fruit and had a low rate of old fruit. High yields and good quality were also noted for the red cultivar 14511 Bungee, which displayed an intermediate level of early ripening, showed no defects at sorting and had no old fruit following the storage period; and the red cultivar 1097. Of the yellow cultivars, notable results were recorded for 2125 - which displayed a lot of early ripening (50% of the fruit for export was harvested in January), had no old fruit and produced large and uniform fruit – and the cultivar TOP 79, which displayed an intermediate level of early-ripening (only 10% of the fruit for export was harvested in January), produced medium-sized fruit and had no old fruit in the storage test. We propose that these cultivars be included in an additional cultivar trial.

  שפה English
  מחבר Yoram Zvieli, Ami Maduel, Moran Kapon Patel, Rivka Offenbach, Israel Tzabari, Rami Golan, Eviater Itiel, Itzik Posalsky
  שנה 2009
  שייכות yzvieli
  תאריך יצירה 24/1/2009
  תאריך עדכון 25/1/2009

  OPEN
• 15

  years

  ago
  Examination of autumn melon varieties

  Vegetables

  by Yoram Zvieli

  תחום או ענף ירקות
  תאריך עדכון 19/2/2008

  תיאור מלא In an experiment conducted by Arava R&D in a commercial field of Zeira farm in Neot Hakikar, 26 varieties of Galia-type and orange-colored peel (Cantaloupe, Charantais) types were studied in an experiment (four replicates) or an observation (two reps). Planting took place on 20/9/05 and harvest was carried out on weeks 47 to 51, starting on 20/11/05 (61 days after planting), and ending on 14/12/05 with eight picking sessions.
  Galia-type varieties testing the experiment: average total yield: 4.9 kg/m2. Average exportable yield: 3.9 kg/m2. Varieties '2161' and '7506' excelled in yield and quality.
  Among Galia-type varieties under observation: var. '6025' excelled with 5.4 kg/m2 and 87% exportable fruits, but it has a tendency to have brown spot on peel – a negative trait in the market. Var. '1625' excelled in high rate of large exportable fruits, but it had relatively low sweetness. Var. '7506' was the earliest to ripe, and var. '7507' was the latest.
  Cantaloupe varieties testing the experiment: var. Magritte (5131) did better than var. Magnet (3101), with total yield of 4.1 kg/m2, of which 89% exportable. Vars '96201' and Derby had better fruit quality than var. Magritte, but their yield was smaller.
  In conclusion, it is recommended to test again the following varieties: '2161' (Semco), '7506' (Yam Tichon Zeraim), and '6025' (Hazera), in comparison to the commercial varieties '7303', '1537' (Trooper), and '1625'.

  שפה English
  מחבר Yoram Zvieli, Rivka Offenbach, Ami Maduel, Rami Golan, Israel Zabari, Eviatar Itiel, Shimshon Omer, Ami Zeira
  שנה 2007
  שייכות Israel Tsabari
  תאריך יצירה 19/2/2008
  תאריך עדכון 19/2/2008

  OPEN