Optimizing Water Use in Agriculture
In 2019 Laura Rez arrived at the Hebrew University’s Robert H. Smith Faculty as a summer research fellow. She was finishing her B.Eng in Bioresource Engineering at McGill University and wanted to gain hands-on research experience. She spent the summer contributing to modeling the reversal of soil degradation caused by high salinity in irrigation water in Dr. Yair Mau’s lab. A few months later, she boarded a plane, made aliya, and began a master’s in Environmental Quality Sciences under the supervision of Dr. Mau.
Laura’s research focuses on the hydraulic status of trees – how trees use and distribute their water – and the drastic effect of drought in this field. By inserting special sensors within the trunks of orange and mango trees in the Smith Faculty orchards, Laura has access to real-time data on the inbound and outbound flow of water – and, by extension, the amount of water that each tree holds at any given moment. Tweaking the irrigation can simulate extreme climate events – such as periodic or prolonged drought. To supplement her data, Laura uses soil sensors and a meteorological station, which provide additional data about the micro-climate in the orchard.
To analyze her findings, Laura is writing an algorithm that relates the external environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, humidity) to the inner water status of the tree, to identify the climatic conditions that can bring the tree to its most vulnerable water state. This helps her to discover how the climate, on the smallest scale, impacts the tree over time.
“I feel that I’m in the right place. Israel is the best place for developing sustainable agricultural practices, as can be seen, for example, by the extensive development and adoption of desalinated water in farming – not to mention, as well, the open-mindedness of farmers towards smart-agriculture. It’s also possible for me, at the Hebrew University, to build the network of multidisciplinary advisors and mentors who can help to ensure that we develop the best solutions and truly optimize water use and quality in agriculture!”
Looking forward, Laura hopes to transfer to the direct PhD track to further develop her research. Ultimately, she hopes to pinpoint the effect of climate change within the long life of agricultural trees, helping farmers optimize their water use throughout the years while maintaining the quality of their produce. Farmers can then be better prepared on how and when to intervene – to produce crops, make a living, and save their trees from irreparable damage.