James Waters, Representative of EZ-FLO, middle east, showing the flow of water and fertilliser by the new irrigation system called fertigation which has been set up on Yas Island.
James Waters, Representative of EZ-FLO, middle east, showing the flow of water and fertilliser by the new irrigation system called fertigation which has been set up on Yas Island.
James Waters, Representative of EZ-FLO, middle east, showing the flow of water and fertilliser by the new irrigation system called fertigation which has been set up on Yas Island.
James Waters, Representative of EZ-FLO, middle east, showing the flow of water and fertilliser by the new irrigation system called fertigation which has been set up on Yas Island.

Greener irrigation method on trial


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ABU DHABI // An irrigation system being demonstrated at Yas Island aims to cut down on the use of water, fertiliser and labour.

Fertigation is the name given to the application of fertilisers through an irrigation system. It works by using pumps to push liquid fertiliser from a storage tank through a pressurised irrigation system in a "one-off hit" once every month or so.

The tanks need to be filled every four to six weeks, with the size of the tank dependent on the area to be irrigated. A five-litre tank is suitable for an area of 1,000 square metres.

"We're trying to do more with less," says James Waters, whose company, Ez-Flo Middle East, distributes the system.

"Now there's a lot of strain on water supplies because we've got a shortage of water, so the UAE is looking at how to use less in a sustainable manner for landscaping and farming.

"Conventional irrigation systems would use 70 per cent more fertiliser and about 30 per cent more water," said Mr Waters.

On a large scale, fertigation can feed an area of up to 46,500 square metres - golf courses, for example, or large farms.

"Farmers and landscapers are now seeing that [fertigation] is increasing yield by about 30 per cent on farms because we're now feeding plants more efficiently," he said. "We're not reinventing the wheel, we're just making things a bit more streamlined."

A demonstration plot was set up on Yas Island last month and work was also carried out on 1,000 square metres of land at the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai a few months ago.

"Instead of having 30 guys fertilise by hand in two days, you have one guy do the set-up in 15 minutes, once a month," said Mr Waters. "That trial cut back on water by 20 per cent."

Because UAE soil is so sandy, traditional irrigation methods can be wasteful, with much of the fertiliser draining out.

"Only 10 per cent of fertiliser is absorbed by the plant because of leaching," said Mr Waters. "It's going straight past the root zone, into the waterways and gets drained."

Nicholas Lodge, the managing partner of Clarity, an Abu Dhabi-based agriculture consultancy, agreed that the system would help, but said there were "other limiting factors" to farming in the region.

"The overall production from any agricultural system in this part of the world needs to take into account a range of factors," he said, "the availability and the efficiency of the fertiliser is one".

Poor quality soil meant farmers needed to focus on how water was applied, for how long it was available, and its ambient temperature.

"High temperatures can stop production for a great number of years here," he said, "because the temperature gets beyond the range in which plants can grow".

"Fertigation is an efficient way of delivering fertiliser but in some ways, the issues that face any agricultural system in the UAE are broader than just the method of giving fertiliser."

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OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS

Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)

Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye

Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine

Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye

Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)

Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)

Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra

Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh

Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar

Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine

 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Results

2.30pm: Dubai Creek Tower – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: Marmara Xm, Gary Sanchez (jockey), Abdelkhir Adam (trainer)

3pm: Al Yasmeen – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: AS Hajez, Jesus Rosales, Khalifa Al Neyadi

3.30pm: Al Ferdous – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m; Winner: Soukainah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout

4pm: The Crown Prince Of Sharjah – Prestige (PA) Dh200,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: AF Thayer, Ray Dawson, Ernst Oertel

4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: George Villiers, Antonio Fresu, Bhupat Seemar

5pm: Palma Spring – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Es Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Scoreline:

Everton 4

Richarlison 13'), Sigurdsson 28', ​​​​​​​Digne 56', Walcott 64'

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Gylfi Sigurdsson (Everton)