Israel Prize Laureate in Agriculture for 1984
Shlomo Rabikovitch was born in 1899 in Russia. He studied agriculture at Tavrian University in Russia, but interrupted his studies and immigrated to the Land of Israel in the early 1920s. He began his work at the Agricultural Experiment Station, later the Agricultural Research Organization, as a research assistant and subsequently became the head of the Soil Department. In the 1930s, he traveled to study in the United States, and in 1938 he completed his doctoral studies at Rutgers University. In 1942, he joined the initial teaching staff of the Institute of Agricultural Studies, within the framework of the Hebrew University, with the rank of senior lecturer. In 1949 he became an associate professor, and in 1957 he became a full professor in the field of earth sciences. From 1951 to 1954, he also served as the director of the Agricultural Research Station, but asked to be relieved of this role so he could focus on research [1]. From 1955 to 1958, he served as the Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University.
Research Areas Soil, salinity
Scientific Achievements Prof. Ravikovitch was one of the pioneers of earth sciences research in Israel. Ravikovitch specialized in the field of soil, a central topic in the agricultural research of the Land of Israel during the Third Aliyah. His early studies in Israel dealt with the adsorption of anions and cations, but he soon moved on to deal with the problem of soil salinity in the Jordan Valley, the Beit She’an Valley, and the Arava, as well as possible solutions to the problem. In 1939-1940, he accompanied the people of Beit HaArava in washing the soil of salts and preparing it for growing vegetables [2]. These studies served as a catalyst for the establishment of soil amelioration projects, including the amelioration project in the Kishon Valley in 1948. In the 1940s, he engaged in mapping the soils of the northern Negev [3], and in 1953 he published the results of the survey, according to which most of the northern Negev soils do not suffer from salinity, and only about a quarter of the soils suffer from relatively light salinity. He concluded by stating: “The recent survey of Negev soils largely contradicted the pessimistic assumptions… Most of the soils of the northern Negev, which is a vast area still awaiting its agricultural redemption, can serve as a fertile substrate for various agricultural crops provided the necessary water is supplied for this purpose” [4]. From 1953 to 1957, he engaged in mapping the soils of the southern Negev from Beersheba to Eilat, according to their types and characteristics, with the help of Yoel Dan and with the assistance of the Ford Foundation. For this purpose, many tours were conducted throughout the Negev, and thousands of soil samples were taken and analyzed in the laboratory [5]. The level of detail regarding soil quality in his survey is among the most detailed in the Western world. Alongside the mapping of soils, Ravikovitch developed a taxonomy of soil types. In 1959, he was a member of the committee examining the possibilities for agricultural settlement in the southern Negev, which recommended the establishment of many settlements in the Negev [6]. In addition to researching the soil types themselves, Ravikovitch engaged in researching plant growth under saline conditions. The soil salinity map of Israel that he compiled led to his recognition of the importance of a mineral nutrition system, and his studies determined the desirable ratios of trace and toxic levels in various soil types. In 1981, he and a research team published a map of trace elements in the soils of Israel. His work in the field of pedology led in the 1930s to the publication of a study on clay movement in the coastal strip of Israel, which developed in the 1950s into a series of studies regarding the understanding of clay movement by introducing sodium into the soil and accelerating the amelioration of the sands for agricultural use. His research in the Hula Valley began with a first publication in 1936, which dealt with the chemical description of the region’s soils, and continued in a series of studies throughout a period of monitoring chemical processes in the soils. These formed the basis for the textbook he authored, “Soils of Israel”. Ravikovitch won the Ruppin Prize in 1948 for his book “The Saline Soils in the Jordan Valley and Their Quality” [7] and the Israel Prize for Agriculture in 1984. He retired in 1967.
From His Publications
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Irrigation Methods and Their Effect on Soil Salinization: Plant Development and Composition, 1941
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Soils of Israel: Classification of the Soils of Israel, 1960
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Soils of Israel: Their Formation, Nature, and Properties, 1981
External Links
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Arieh Singer, The 1984 Israel Prize in Agriculture awarded to Professor Shlomo Ravikovitch, Mada, Vol. 78, 4, on the Snunit website
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B. Barshai, Prof. Shmuel Ravikovitch, trailblazer in agricultural research and teaching, Davar, May 4, 1959
Notes
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Dr. Ravikovitch to retire from the management of the Experiment Station, Davar, May 30, 1954
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Israel Even-Nur, A House Facing Mount Nebo, Hakibbutz Hameuchad Publishing, 1981, pages 37-38
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The High Commissioner’s Visit to the Ziv Institute, Davar, April 4, 1946
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M. Ofer, The Salt and the Bread, Davar, September 4, 1953
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The Southern Negev Land Survey is Completed, Davar, February 6, 1957
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Reuven Cohen, An agricultural settlement will be established in the southern Negev, Davar, August 21, 1959
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A Decade to a Cultural Enterprise, Davar, December 28, 1953
(From Wikipedia)