Research Profiles

Attaining self-sufficiency in fresh food item production is a long-term process. Qatar needs to prepare its institutions, researchers, and a new generation of students (especially Qatari students who are the future of Qatar) to step into this noble cause. Therefore, the significance of this project becomes vital since this project also aims at providing training and research capacity building for Qatari students to contribute to the national initiatives of attaining food security in the country. The specific objectives include 1) Determining artificial light requirements for various growth stages of the major vegetable crops grown in Qatari greenhouses, 2) Assessing suitable sources for greenhouse artificial supplemental lights; LED (light-emitting diode) lights and/or HPS (high-pressure sodium) lamps, 3) Designing and developing an interactive and efficient decision support system for major vegetable crops grown in Qatari greenhouses, and 4) Providing training and research capacity building for Qatari students to contribute to the national initiatives of attaining food security in the country.

A detailed study is proposed to explore the options for climate-smart farming in Qatar to meet its food security and sustainability targets as a part of the National Food Security Program and Qatar’s National Vision 2030. The proposed project illustrates: I) Precision soil conservation for improving soil health by introducing bio-solids and organic amendments, II) Developing and applying artificial intelligence-based machine vision technologies to identify plant pests (diseases) in real-time for targeted applications of agrochemicals, III) Introduce sustainable sensor-based smart irrigation systems to optimize quantity and timing of water allocation for crop production, IV) Drones-assisted monitoring and mapping of plants and soil health for early warning and field terrain to attain sustainable resource allocation, and V) Promoting circular bio-economy and performing life cycle analysis of wastes to improve current agriculture management practices.

Objectives of the project are to i) Utilize the existing research infrastructure at the UDST and suggest improvements in agricultural experimentation at UDST, and ii) Study the effects of environmental control conditions, nutrient source types, and irrigation regimes on the growth of tomatoes and resultant dynamics of water and nutrients in the soil, and iii) Conduct capacity building of the participating undergraduate students about applied research within available resources.

The specific objectives are to i) Explore ingenuities in the cultivation of selected vegetables in the context of food security in Qatar, ii) Evaluate greenhouse feasibility for adaptation to Qatar’s harsh climate to meet Qatar’s food security targets, iii) Collect, organize, and analyze data from the cooperating industry’s existing greenhouse(s) and ongoing cultivation of vegetable crop(s) crucial to Qatar, and iv) Conduct capacity building of the participating undergraduate students and knowledge transfer to Qatar’s greenhouse operators for the efficient functioning of greenhouse control systems.