GILAT – MIGDA

LTER site established at 2008

Site manager: Eli Zaady

Contact: zaadye@agri.gov.il

Operating Organization

Ministry of Agriculture

General Site Description:

A Loess plain is devoted to the agroecosystem of pasture land and climate change research. The site is subdivided into permanent plots, which are exposed to various manipulations. The manipulations include the introduction of multiple crops and different grazing regimes. The manipulation provides data on the effect of management and rainfall regimes on agricultural productivity. In addition, the area includes ecological plots to study natural succession, plant phenology, and productivity under various rainfall regimes. The site is also used to study climate change in relation to rainfall and runoff patterns. An important study is the dynamic of geophytes that are important as a cultural ecosystem service in the area. A new research direction is to study ecosystem development under various rainfall and runoff patterns.

https://deims.org/f6fcfb89-8194-4aa1-b4b2-427bf6e00e54

Purpose of Site:

To study the structure and function of agroecosystems in a semiarid region. Specifically, to understand agricultural and natural products under the various intensity of grazing by domestic animals. Also, the objective of the research on the site is to understand the combined effect of climate variability and grazing. Another aim is to study the impact of agroecological manipulations on soil quality and function. The objective is to construct a model for dryland ecoagricultural management that considers water flow and the interactions among trophic levels.

History of the site:

Established in 1963 as a part of studying the Northern Negev has a grazing system, the site’s land was allocated to long-term research on the relationship between domestic animals, their productivity, and semiarid landscape primary productivity.

Monitored parameters:

Soil parameters, vegetation diversity and biomass production, feeding sheep on-farm pasture, wheat, barley, and legumes for sheep feeding.

Publications:

List of publications – Migda farm

Agricultural Systems 30: 335-350.
Arieli, A., Naim, E., Benjamin, R.W. and Pasternak, D. (1989) The effect of feeding saltbush and sodium chloride on energy metabolism in sheep. Animal Production 49: 451-457.

Seligman, N.G. and H. van Keulen (1989) Herbage production of a Mediterranean grassland in relation to soil depth, rainfall and nitrogen nutrition: a simulation study.

Aharoni, Y., Brosh, A., Orlov, A., Shargal, E. and Gutman, M. (2004) Measurements of energy balance of grazing beef cows on Mediterranean pasture, the effects of stocking rate and season: 1. Digesta kinetics, faecal output and digestible. Livestock Production Science 90: 89-100.

Alberda, Th., H. van Keulen, N.G. Seligman and C.T. de Wit, editors (1992) Food from Dry Lands – An Integrated Approach to Planning of Agricultural Development. Kluwer Academic Publishers, The Netherlands. 211 pp.

Arieli, A., Naim, E., Benjamin, R.W. and Pasternak, D. (1989) The effect of feeding saltbush and sodium chloride on energy metabolism in sheep. Animal Production 49: 451-457.

Barkai, D., Landau, S., Brosh, A., Baram, H. and Molle, G. (2002) Estimation of energy intake from heart rate and energy expenditure in sheep under confinement or grazing condition. Livestock Production Science 73: 237-246.

Benjamin, R. W., A. A. Degen, A. Brieghet, M. Chen and N. H. Tadmor (1975) Estimation of food intake of sheep grazing green pasture when no free water is available. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 85:403.

Benjamin, R. W., E. Oren, E. Katz and K. Becker (1992) The apparent digestibility of Atriplex barclayana and its effect on nitrogen metabolism in sheep. Animal Production 54:259-264.

Seligman, N.G., H. van Keulen and C.J.F. Spitters (1992) Weather, soil conditions and the interannual variability of herbage production and nutrient uptake on annual Mediterranean grasslands. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 57: 265-279.

Benjamin, R. W., E. Oren, E. Katz and K. Becker (1992) The apparent digestibility of Atriplex barclayana and its effect on nitrogen metabolism in sheep. Animal Production54:259-264.

Benjamin, R., Eyal, E., Noy-Meir, I. and Seligman, N. (1977) The effect of sheep grazing on the grain yield and total dry matter production of wheat in an arid region. Hassadeh 57; 754-759 . Hebrew, with English summary.

Benjamin, R., Noy-Meir, I. and Seligman, N. (1977) Deferment of grazing in a natural pasture in a semiarid region at the beginning of the grazing season. Hassadeh 57, 1868-1873 :Hebrew, with English summary.

Benjamin, R.W., E. Eyal, I. Noy-Meir and N.G. Seligman (1982) Intensive agropastoral systems in the Migda Experiment Farm, northern Negev. Hassadeh 62: 2022-2025 (Hebrew with English summary.

Benjamin, R.W., M. Chen, N. G. Seligman, D. Wallach and M.J. al Hadad (1978) Primary production of grazed natural pasture and of grazed wheat in a semiarid region of Israel. Agricultural Systems 3: 205-220.

Benjamin, Y., J. Kali, D. Barkai, R.W. Benjamin and E. Eyal (1982) Feeding cattle manure for maintenance of mature ewes. Hassadeh, 63, 3: 565-569. (Hebrew, with English summary).

de Ridder, N., N.G. Seligman and H. van Keulen (1981) Analysis of environmental and species effects on the magnitude of biomass investment in the reproductive effort of annual pasture plants. Oecologia (Berl.) 49: 253-271.

de Wit, C.T., H. van Keulen, N.G. Seligman and I. Spharim (1988) Application of interactive multiple-goal linear programming techniques for analysis and planning of regional agricultural development. Agricultural Systems 26: 211-230.

Degan A.A., R.W. Benjamin and E. Eyal (1987) A note on increasing lamb production of fat-tailed Awassi and German Mutton Merino sheep grazing in a semiarid area. Animal Production 44: 169-172.

Degen, A. A., R. W. Benjamin and J. C. Hoorweg (2000) Bedouin households and sheep production in the Negev Desert, Israel. Nomadic Peoples 4:125-147.

Degen, A. A., R. W. Benjamin, T. Mishorr, M. Kam, K. Becker, H. P. S. Makkar and H. J. Schwartz (2000) Acacia saligna as a supplementary feed for grazing desert sheep and goats. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 135:77-84.

Seligman, NG H Van Keulen. Herbage production of a Mediterranean grassland in relation to soil depth, rainfall and nitrogen nutrition: a simulation study Ecological Modelling 47: 303-311.

Eyal E., Benjamin R.W. and Tadmor N.H. (1975) Sheep production on seeded legumes, planted shrubs and dryland grain in a semiarid region of Israel. Journal of Range Management 28: 100-107.

Feigenbaum Sala, N.G. Seligman, R.W. Benjamin and Dvora Feinerman (1983) Recovery of tagged fertilizer nitrogen applied to rainfed spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) subjected to water stress. Plant and Soil 73: 265-274.

Feigenbaum, Sala, N.G. Seligman and R.W. Benjamin (1984) Fate of 15N applied to spring wheat grown for three consecutive years. Journal of the Soil Science Society of America 48: 838-843.

Keulen, H. van, N.G. Seligman and R.W. Benyamin (1981) Simulation of water use and herbage growth in arid regions. A re-evaluation and further development of the model ‘ARID CROP’. Agricultural Systems 6: 159-193.

Landau, S. (2000) You say pasture, you see green. Pasture in the desert is different. Rosh Gadol 9: 26 (Hebrew)

Landau, S., Bonfil, D., Barkai, D. and Rosilio, I. (2000) No-till wheat farming and stubble grazing Hanoked 34:18-22 (Hebrew)

Landau, S., Bonfil, D.J., Barkai, D., Yonatan, R., Mufradi, I., Dvash, L. and Brosh, A. (2004) A system analysis of the interaction between wheat crop management and sheep grazing in aftermath stubble. Options Med. 61(A): 153-160

Landau, S., Cabiddu, A., Molle, G., Fois, N., Friedman, S., Barkai, D., Decandia, M. Dvash, L. and Sitzia, M. (2005) Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) as a novel pasture species for dairy sheep in the Mediterranean conditions of Sardinia and Israel. Small Ruminant Research 59: 239-249.

Landau, S., Decandia, M., Molle, G., Cabiddu, A., Scanu, G., Dvash, L. and Brosh, A. (2005) NIRS-aided evaluation of fecal output in goats browsing on Mediterranean woodland. Opt. Med., 67, 407-412.

Landau, S., Friedman, S., Brenner, S., Bruckental, I., Weinberg, Z.G., Ashbell, G., Hen, Y., Dvash, L. and Leshem, Y. (2004) The value of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) hay and silage grown under Mediterranean conditions as forage for dairy cattle. Livestock Production Science 88: 263-271.

Landau, S., Rosilio, I., Bonfil, D., Barkai, D. and Adiri, B. (2001) There is no contradiction between stubble grazing by sheep and no-till wheat management. Gan Sade VaMechek 3: 8-13 (Hebrew).

Landau, S., Silanikove, N., Nitsan, Z., Barkai, D., Baram, H., Provenza, F.D. and Perevolotsky, A. (2000) Short-term changes in eating patterns explain the effects of condensed tannins in heifers. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 69: 199-213.

Landau, Y., Silanikove, N., Nitsan, Z., Barkai, D., Baram, H. Provenza, F.D. and Perevolotsky, A. (2000) Short-term changes in eating patterns explain the effects of condensed tannins on feed intake in heifers Applied Animal Behaviour Science 69:199-213.

Leshem, Y., Katz, Y., Levi, A., Brikman, R., Landau, S., Devash, L. and Barkai, D. (2001) The effect of mechanical treatments on drying of safflower hay grown in the Negev Desert. Gan Sade VaMechek 6: 12-14 (Hebrew).

Mussery, A.M., Shuker, S., Zaady, E. (2019). New approach for sustainable and profitable grazing systems in arid open lands of the northern Negev desert (Israel). Geography, Environment, Sustainability 12(2) 106-127. DOI-10.24057/2071-9388-2019-15

Stavi, I., Shuker, S., Barkai, D., Knoll, Y.M., Zaady, E.. (2018). Effects of livestock grazing on Anemone coronaria L. in drylands: Implications for nature conservation. Geography and Environment. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/geo2.53.

Noy-Meir, I. (1992) Structure and dynamics of grazing systems on seasonal pastures. In: Food from Dry lands (eds. Th. Alberda et al.) Kluwer Academic Publ., Dordrecht, 724.

Noy-Meir, I. and Harpaz, Y. (1977) Nitrogen cycling in semiarid Agroecosystems in Israel. In: Cycling of mineral nutrients in agricultural ecosystems (ed. M.J. Frissel), Agro-ecosystems 4, 143-167.

Noy-Meir, I. and N.G. Seligman (1979) Management of semiarid ecosystems in Israel. In B. Walker (ed): Management of Arid Ecosystems. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Co., Amsterdam. pp. 113-160.

Paz-Kagan, T-., Shachak, M., Zaady, E., Karnieli, A. (2014). A spectral soil quality index (SSQI) for characterizing soil function in areas of changed land use. Geoderma 230, 171-184.

Seligman, N.G. (1992) Description of a pasture system generator. In Th. Alberda, H. van Keulen, N.G. Seligman and C.T. de Wit (eds.): Food from Dry Lands – An Integrated Approach to Planning of Agricultural Development. Chapter 5, pp. 101-132.

Seligman, N.G. and H. van Keulen (1987) Long term effects of agrotechnical practice and plant characteristics on grain yield of wheat (T. aestivum L.) growing in a Mediterranean semiarid region: an exercise in crop simulation. Israel Agre-search 37-52 :Hebrew, with English summary.

Seligman, N.G. and H. van Keulen (1989) Herbage production of a Mediterranean grassland in relation to soil depth, rainfall and nitrogen nutrition: a simulation study. Ecological Modelling 47: 303-311.

Seligman, N.G., H. van Keulen, A. Yulzari, R. Yonathan, and R. Benjamin (1976) The effect of abundant nitrogen fertilizer application on the seasonal change in mineral concentration in annual mediterranean pasture species. Preliminary Report No. 754. Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan, 12 pp..

Seligman, N.G., I. Spharim, Dalia Harel, E. Eyal, R.W. Benjamin and Y. Benjamin (1983) Economic evaluation of agropastoral systems based on wheat and sheep husbandry applied to the northern Negev of Israel. 1. Effect of area of pasture in relation to thearea of wheat. Hassadeh 63: 877-880 (Hebrew, with English summary).

Seligman, N.G., I. Spharim, E. Eyal, R.W. Benjamin, Dalia Harel and Y. Ofer (1983) Economic evaluation of agropastoral systems based on wheat and sheep husbandry applied to the northern Negev of Israel. 2. The effect of three-year legume pasture and of cheaper recycled feed on economic feasibility. Hassadeh 63: 1126-1128 (Hebrew, with English summary).

Seligman, N.G., R.W. Benjamin and I. Sepharim (1989) Multiple Goal Feasibility of Forage Shrub Plantations in a Semi-arid Mediterranean- Type Agropastoral System. Agricultural Systems 30: 335-350.

Seligman, N.G., R.W. Benjamin and I. Sepharim (1989) Multiple Goal Feasibility of Forage Shrub Plantations in a Semi-arid Mediterranean- Type Agropastoral System.

Seligman, N.G., Sala Feigenbaum, Dvora Feinerman and R.W. Benjamin (1986) Uptake of nitrogen from high C to N ratio 15N labelled organic residues by spring wheat grown under semiarid conditions. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 18: 303-307.

de Ridder N., R.W. Benjamin and H. van Keulen (1986) Forage selection and performance of sheep grazing dry annual range. Journal of Arid Environments 10: 39-51.

Seligman, N.G., Sala Feigenbaum, R.W. Benjamin and Dvora Feinerman (1985) Efficiency of fallow as a store for fertilizer nitrogen in a semiarid region. Journal of Agricultural Science (Cambridge) 105: 245-249.

Spharim, I. and N.G. Seligman (1983) Identification and selection of technology for a specific agricultural region: A case study of sheep husbandry and dryland farming in the northern Negev of Israel. Agricultural Systems 10: 99-125.

Stavi, I., Argaman, E., Zaady, E. (2016). Positive impact of stubble grazing on soil aggregation and related quality indices in dryland wheat agro-pastoral systems. Catena 146: 94-99.

Stavi, I., Barkai, D., Islam, K.R., Zaady, E. (2015). No adverse effect of moderate stubble grazing on soil quality and organic carbon pool in dryland wheat agroecosystems. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 35, 1117-1125.

Stavi, I., Barkai, D., Knoll, Y., Zaady, E. (2016). Livestock grazing impact on soil wettability and erosion risk in post-fire agricultural lands. Science of Total Environment 573, 1203-1208.

Stavi, I., Shuker, S., Barkai, D., Knoll, Y.M., Zaady, E.. (2018). Effects of livestock grazing on Anemone coronaria L. in drylands: Implications for nature conservation. Geography and Environment. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/geo2.53.

Stavi. I., Brook, A., Katra, I., Barkai, D., Knoll, Y., Zaady, E. (2017). Fire outbreak impacton soil-water validity of semiarid croplands and rangelands: Implications for prescribed burning and wildfires. Geomorphology 280, 67-75.

Stavi. I., Brook, A., Katra, I., Barkai, D., Knoll, Y., Zaady, E. (2017). Fire outbreak impact on soil-water validity of semiarid croplands and rangelands: Implications for prescribed burning and wildfires. Geomorphology 280, 67-75.

Tadmor, N. H., A. Briechet, I. Noy-Meir, R. W. Benjamin and E. Eyal (1975) An evaluation of the calibrated weight-estimate method for measuring production in annual vegetation. Journal of Range Management. 28: 65-69.

Tanner, S., Katra, I., Haim, A., Zaady, E. (2016). Quantification of short-term soil loss by aeolian erosion in response to conventional and organic agricultural practices. Soil and Tillage Research 155, 149-156.
Stavi, I., Barkai, D., Islam, K.R., Zaady, E. (2015). No adverse effect of moderate stubble grazing on soil quality and organic carbon pool in dryland wheat agroecosystems. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 35, 1117-1125.

Ungar, E.D. (1990) Management of agropastoral systems in a semiarid region. Simulation Monographs, PUDOC, Wageningen. 221 pages.

Ungar, E.D. (1990) Management of agropastoral systems in a semiarid region Simulation Monographs, PUDOC, Wageningen. 221 pages.

Ungar, E.D. (1992) Management of agro-pastoral systems at the farm level. in: Food From Dry Lands: An Integrated Approach to Planning of Agricultural Development. (Th. Alberda, H. van Keulen, N.G. Seligman and C.T. de Wit, editors), pp. 133-158. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

Ungar, E.D. (1992) Management of agro-pastoral systems at the farm level. in: Food From Dry Lands: An Integrated Approach to Planning of Agricultural Development. (Th. Alberda, H. van Keulen, N.G. Seligman and C.T. de Wit, editors), pp. 133-158.Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

van Keulen H. (1975) Simulation of water use and herbage growth in arid regions. Simulation Monographs, PUDOC, Wageningen, The Netherlands. 176 pp.

van Keulen H., N.G.Seligman and R.W.Benjamin (1981) Simulation of water use and herbage growth in arid regions- a reevaluation and further development of the model “ARID CROP”. Agricultural Systems 6: 159-193.

van Keulen, H. and N.G. Seligman (1992) Moisture, nutrient availability and plant production in the semiarid region. In Th. Alberda, H. van Keulen, N.G. Seligman and C.T. de Wit (eds.): Food from Dry Lands – An Integrated Approach to Planning of Agricultural Development. Chapter 3, pp. 25-81.

van Keulen, H., N.G. Seligman and J. Goudriaan (1975) Availability of anions in the growth medium to roots of an actively growing plant. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Research 23:131-138.

Zaady, E., Yonatan, R., Shachak, M. and A. Perevolotsky (2001) The effect of grazing on abiotic and biotic parameters in a semiarid ecosystem: a case study from the northern Negev desert, Israel. Arid Soil Research and Rehabilitation 15:245-261.

Landau, S., Rosilio, I., Bonfil, D., Barkai, D. and Adiri, B. (2001) There is no contradiction between stubble grazing by sheep and no-till wheat management. Gan Sade VaMechek 3: 8-13 (Hebrew).

Our sites and platforms