Bayer, Netafim, and BGN Technologies, the technology company of the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), Beer-Sheva, Israel, have signed a three-year research collaboration. The project will combine soil research, digital prediction tools, and drip technology to develop best practices for using drip irrigation as a delivery system.

DripByDrip is a solution by Bayer and Netafim. It uses Netafim’s drip irrigation systems to deliver Bayer’s chemical and biological crop protection products. DripByDrip applies the active substances precisely to the plant, resulting in higher efficacy, the need for less crop protection compound, and lower environmental impact.

The joint research collaboration aims to further develop DripByDrip. Under the collaboration, comprehensive data sets will be generated experimentally to calibrate digital prediction models for optimized application of crop protection compounds via drip irrigation. This includes laboratory and field studies evaluating the behavior of the Bayer nematicide Velum in soils and plants under typical agricultural conditions in arid regions. Research activities will be carried out in Israel, at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research of BGU and Netafim facilities, and in field trials in Israel. The project is led by Marc Rist, Research & Development at Crop Science, a division of Bayer, Dubi Raz, Corporate Agronomy Director at Netafim, and Shimon Rachmilevich and his team at the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research of BGU.

• Bayer AG, Leverkusen, German
• BGN Technologies Ltd., Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel
• Netafim, Tel Aviv, Israel