Food and Agriculture

Agar-based growth medium for water-efficient agriculture

Significant potential for water treatment and purification

(TRL:3-4)

  • Agriculture consumes about 80% of water used in KSA and the middle east

  • Water loss is through a variety of ways such as evaporation, transpiration and poor agricultural practices

  • This research explores agar as a smart medium for plant growth

  • Technology integrates innovative features such as embedded channels, hygroscopicity / hydrophilicity to gels

  • Transparency of agar can potentially be used to stimulate root-based vegetables by optical methods

  • While the technology is focussed on water efficiency when scaled in agricultural sector, it can also be potentially used to increase agricultural productivity

ASDI
Prof. Zuruzi Abu Samah

Mechanical Engineering

College of Engineering

ASDI