WHEAT Genetic Optimization and Advancement for Livelihoods " WHEAT GOAL " published peer-reviewed articles in the field of plant breeding and molecular biology and participation in national and international conference presentations and its members obtained prestigious awards and major research grants. Here are some of " WHEAT GOAL " achievements:
Prof. Ayed Al-Abdallat has been recognized for his outstanding contributions to scientific research and innovation across the Arab region. In 2012, he was honored as the Distinguished Researcher of the Year by The University of Jordan, followed by the Distinguished Research Article of the Year award in 2014 from the Ministry of Higher Education in Jordan. His regional impact was further acknowledged in 2015 when he received the prestigious title of Distinguished Arab Scientist from the Showman Foundation.
Dr. Abdulqader Jighly received recently the prestigious Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation in the “Distinguished Innovative Studies and Modern Technology" category, recognizing his significant contributions to agricultural innovation and food-security.
Prof. Zakaria Alajlouni was awarded a prestigious fellowship by the Arab Fund Program (Kuwait), enabling him to undertake a sabbatical leave at the Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, from September 2018 to September 2019.
Dr. Abdelfattah A. Dababat is a distinguished researcher and has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and more than 300 proceedings, abstracts, books, and book chapters. He earned a PhD scholarship (KAAD, Germany) and has supervised 70+ postgraduate students from around the world.
Dr. Wuletaw Tadesse (ICARDA) won the 2024 “Alamari Prize for Enhancing Food Security in the Arab Countries". He contributed to the release of over 12 high-yielding, drought-tolerant wheat varieties; increased wheat production in the member countries by 29%.
🌾Shared victorious and proud moments of our team 🌾:
🧫New bacterial strain isolated from the Dead Sea region discovered
A research team from the University of Jordan, led by Dr. Tariq Al-Hindi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Life Sciences at the Faculty of Science, and in cooperation with Dr. Randa Al-Budaiwi from Al-Balqa Applied University, discovered and solved the genetic code of a new type of plant root sheath bacteria, which experiments have proven to be able to help wheat plants grow under high salinity conditions and increase productivity under salinity conditions in Jordanian environments. The Jordanian oceanobacillus jordanicus was named after the species discovered. It was found that this type of bacteria is able to produce several substances that stimulate plant growth and can give the wheat plant the ability to resist some fungal pests such as fusarium rot.The team completed a complete reading of the genetic content of bacteria and identified several genes related to stimulating plant growth under saline stress conditions and uploaded them to the NCBI global database. The team is currently completing research and working on new types of bacteria isolated from Jordanian environments to understand the mechanism of plant resistance to salinity and resistance to agricultural pests to be used later to produce environmentally friendly fertilizers and organic pesticides.The team works in the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Agriculture, the Hamdi Mango Center for Scientific Research and Al-Balqa Applied University to find practical and environmentally friendly solutions to address agricultural challenges at the national and global levels.
🧬UJ Scholars Win at the 7th Annual International Arab Workshop on Biotechnology
Prof. Ayed Al-Abdallat and Eng. Tamara Al-Qudah has participated and won at the 7th Annual International Arab Workshop on Biotechnology, titled “Plant biotechnology and Biodiversity".Al-Abdallat and Al-Qudah respectively won the best research, and best poster awards at the event which is organized annually by the Arab Biotechnology Association “Federation of Arab Scientific Research Councils", National Center for Research and Development, and Academy of Scientific Research and Technology.