Plant Protection and Orchard Head Retired Researcher.

Originally from Kfar Monash but lives in Rehovot. He has an undergraduate degree in Horticulture and a Master’s degree in Plant Protection from the Agriculture Faculty of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He also has a diploma in Public Service Management from the JDC Institute for Leadership and Governance.

At Shaham (Agricultural Extension Service of the Ministry of Agriculture) he is a Citrus Instructor in the following roles/capacities:

• SENIOR REFERENT – CITRUS PRUNING
• CHIEF OF EXTENSION SERVICE FOR DISEASE AND WEED CONTROL IN CITRUS
• CHIEF OF EXTENSION SERVICE FOR INTEGRATED PEST CONTROL IN CITRUS
• PROFESSIONAL/SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR OF TZERIFIN FARM PLANTATIONS.

 Avi joined the Southern Arava R&D in 2007.

 His main areas of practice are:

• POLLINATION
• FERTILIZATION
• FRUIT RIPENING
• THINNING-OUT
• YIELD AND FRUIT SIZE OF THE MAJHOUL DATE
• MECHANICAL HARVESTING OF MEDJHOUL DATES
• DATE PLANT PROTECTION (SMALL DATE MOTH, LARGE DATE MOTH, BLACK BURN)
• R&D OF EARLY-VARIETY POMEGRANATES
• IMPROVEMENT AND SELECTION OF EARLY VARIETY RED POMEGRANATES WITH LOW SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT AND HEAT STRESS
• POMEGRANATE PLANT PROTECTION (INVENTORY OF HAZARDS IN THE ARAVA, R&D OF INTEGRATED PEST-CONTROL)
• MARULA PROLIFERATION AND SELECTION OF SPECIES FOR THE ARAVA