Shmulik Friedman Ph.D.
Researcher soil physics
- Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences
- Environmental Physics and Irrigation
- Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences (room no. 213), ARO-Volcani Center
- +972-506220424
- +972-39683424
Biography
I am a researcher at the Department of Environmental Physics and Irrigation at the ARO, where I also served as department head from 2005 to 2008. I hold a Ph.D. in agronomy and studied soil science at the Faculty of Agriculture of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Occasionally, I teach a Physics of Soil Water course at the Hebrew University.
Our current research focuses on optimizing irrigation practices to enhance agriculture’s water and fertilizer use efficiency. We explore the interactions between soil, water, plants, and the atmosphere to improve crop yields while reducing environmental impact. This work hopefully supports the development of sustainable farming practices, particularly in water-scarce regions and under challenging climatic conditions. Several years ago, we developed the DIDAS freeware program for Drip Irrigation Design and Scheduling.
Education
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1980-1983
B.Sc. in Soil and Water Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Faculty of Agriculture, Seagram Center for Soil and Water Sciences, Rehovot, Israel.
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1983-1985
M.Sc. studies in Soil and Water Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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1985-1993
Ph.D. in Agronomy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Thesis: Transport of microcapsules and slow release in saturated and unsaturated soils. Supervision: Y. Mualem.
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1993-1994
Postdoctoral position at Cambridge University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Cambridge, UK, with Nigel Seaton. Research subjects: Coefficients of molecular and activated diffusion of gas molecules in porous materials. Separation of gas molecules by molecular sieving carbons during a pressure swing adsorption process.
Research Interests
- Drip Irrigation, irrigation with saline and recycled water
- Supplemental irrigation, irrigation above shallow groundwater
- Soil aeration and methods of soil oxygenation
- Transport and retention properties of soils and granular (\porous) media
- Electrical conductivity and permittivity of soils and rocks
- Electromagnetic methods for measuring soil water content and salinity
- Interactions between charged (soil) particles and ions
- Flow and transport processes of water, solutes, gas molecules, and colloidal particles in soils
- Soil-bacteria interactions, bioclogging
Research Areas
- Soil science
- Soil physics
- Irrigation