Office and laboratory complex
ICBA’s modern office and laboratory facilities are located at its headquarters
in Academic City, 25 km south of central Dubai. Specially equipped laboratories
support each of our major research areas: plant genetic resources, agronomy,
soil and water.
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Land
Our research and demonstration station consists of 100 hectares, of which 35
hectares have been leveled and developed for irrigated agriculture. Fully
developed for research, the 35 ha are divided into 14 blocks, 2.5 ha each. Field
salinity control can be achieved up to the plot level. Fields supplied with low
salinity water are allocated for plant propagation and seed multiplication. 30
hectares have been prepared for buildings and other research related facilities.
The remainder, which is mainly 2-5 meter high sandy hummocks, has been left in
its original condition, providing a valuable resource for studies of indigenous
flora and fauna.
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Water
ICBA has access to different sources of water, including relatively high quality
water with low salinity (2,000 ppm), and two sources of reduced quality water:
high salinity (20,000 ppm), and recycled water (treated waste water) which is
generally of low salinity but with with other chemical and biological
constraints. Mixing water of low and high salinity in different proportions
provides us with a range of salinities from moderate to extreme – a unique
facility unmatched in the Gulf region and available to few centers anywhere.
Recycled water is becoming an increasingly valuable and important resource in
the region, and access to it enables us to assess how to use it safely and
productively. |
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Irrigation systems
Our computer-controlled irrigation system allows precise control of the quantity
and amount of salinity of the irrigation water applied to any part of the
experiment plots. Water can be applied by sprinkler, drip, bubbler or traveling
irrigator systems, allowing us to replicate a wide range of current rrigation
practices.
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Greenhouses and shadehouse
ICBA has four air-conditioned greenhouses and a shadehouse to provide
climate-controlled conditions for plant experiments and to facilitate the
transfer of plants between environments. The greenhouses provide a secure
environment for plant genetic resources work, especially seed multiplication.
The shadehouse provides a cool, shaded environment that will allow field
experiments to be continued through the summer months. |
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Genebank
Our three cold stores, maintained at 12°C, 4°C and -20°C, are used to store and
preserve our vital plant genetic resources collection. Seeds in active
collections are kept at 4°C and can remain viable for several years. These are
readily available for dissemination and utilization. The base collection is kept
at -20°C, at which temperature it will remain viable for 50 to 100 years. |
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Central Analytical Laboratory
The Central Analytical Laboratory (CAL) of the Dubai-based International Center
for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA) provides high-quality analytical laboratory
services in the fields of chemical, physical, engineering and nutritional
testing of soil, water and other materials using internationally recognized QA
verified procedures. Environment and sustainability are key considerations in
the delivery of services to assist clients in decision-making about resource
management and use. CAL also provides services such as field survey and testing
for landscaping, agriculture and environmental projects.
Easy Access
CAL can easily be reached at the ICBA headquarters in Al-Ruwayyah, Academic City
(next to Zayed University) about 23 km from Dubai on the Dubai-Al Ain Road.
Contact Dr Shabbir A Shahid, Acting Manager, on
+971 4 3361100 x 305, mob +971 50 4134149 or by email
s.shahid@biosaline.org.ae< for
further information.
Experienced Staff
CAL, which is an integral part of the ICBA Technical Program, is run by the
following staff who are well-supported by a team of experienced technicians and
laboratory assistants:
Dr Shabbir A Shahid
is a Soil Scientist with a PhD from the University of Wales, Bangor,
UK. He has over 30 years of professional
experience gained from working in Pakistan, UK, Australia, Kuwait, and the
United Arab Emirates. This experience has included work as a Quality Assurance
expert in analytical aspects of soil surveys in Kuwait and Abu Dhabi Emirate;
training in Implementing Laboratory Quality Management (ISO/IEC 17025) organized
by the British Standard Institution (BSI) product Services (UK); and a resource
role for a training workshop on Quality Assurance for Analytical Laboratories
organized in 2006 by Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman.
Dr Henda Mahmoudi holds a PhD in Vegetal Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis and the National Institute of Scientific and
Technology Research, Tunisia. With over ten years of professional laboratory
experience gained in Tunisia, France and Germany, Dr Mahmoudi joined ICBA in
March 2009 as a Visiting Scientist to provide technical services to CAL.
For more information and history
see
CAL Brochure
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