- Located at the historical Aaronsohn Farm, the first Israeli Agricultural Trial Station, founded in 1910.
- Includes a well-equipped R&D greenhouse, orchards and open fields.
- Hosts short- and long-term in vivo studies to assess Haifa’s plant nutrition innovations and explore precision agriculture technologies.
Honoring a Legacy, Advancing the Future
Haifa’s R&D and Innovation Center is located at the historic Aaronsohn Farm in Atlit, the site of Israel’s first agricultural trial station, founded in 1910 by agronomist Aaron Aaronsohn—renowned for his discovery of wild Emmer wheat. Dedicated to the development of Jewish agriculture in the Holy Land, the farm was active until 1917 and served as a base for agricultural research and the NILI espionage network during World War I.
In 2014, Haifa Group initiated the revival of this iconic site, linking its pioneering legacy to our core values of innovation and sustainability. In addition to restoring the original buildings, we established state-of-the-art research facilities, including greenhouses, orchards, open fields, and experimental wheat plots that follow Aaronsohn’s vision.
Today, the farm hots various trials that examine Haifa’s innovations in plant nutrition and support the development of new products and strategies for crop nutrition.
Research Infrastructure
Innovation Greenhouse
The research greenhouse supports in-vivo studies on nutrient use efficiency (NUE) and precision agriculture. Trials are conducted on 15+ cropping systems, primarily in soilless culture.
Key Technologies:
 | Plantarray – Plant-DiTech Trial System A high-throughput diagnostic platform combining automated irrigation and multi-sensor feedback. It enables real-time monitoring of plant growth, stress responses (e.g., drought, salinity), and product performance on NUE and water use efficiency (WUE). |
 | 3D LiDAR Scanner This cutting-edge, non-invasive scanner delivers precise plant structure measurements, capturing morphology and growth dynamics over time. It helps track plant development, biomass, and canopy architecture in response to abiotic stresses like drought, extreme temperatures and salinity. |
 | NFT – Nutrient Film Technique A hydroponic system with shallow, circulating nutrient flow. It supports real-time water consumption analysis and is used to evaluate the performance of fertilizers and biostimulants—especially under salt stress in leafy crops like lettuce. |
 | Recirculation System A closed-loop system that reuses drainage and continuously monitors and corrects the composition of the nutrient solution. This platform supports trials of low-sodium fertilizers and advanced nutrition practices used in high-tech greenhouses, particularly those in Northwestern Europe. |
 | Controlled Growth Room |
Outdoors Research Plots
Citrus Orchard
- Planted: 2015
- Density: 3 x 5 m
- Fertilized with Multicote™ Agri and supplemented with Haifa Bonus™ and HaifaStim™ foliar products.
- Foliar nutrition is widely practiced in Israeli citrus cultivation and recommended by the national extension service.
Avocado Plantation
- Planted: 2018
- Density: 3.5 x 4 m
- Nutrient management with Multicote™ Agri supports healthy establishment, uniform growth, and early fruiting.
- Foliar nutrition is applied similarly to citrus, using Poly-Feed™, HaifaStim™, and Haifa Bonus™.
Wheat Research Plot
In honor of Aaron Aaronsohn’s legacy, wheat trials are conducted in collaboration with the Institute of Evolution Wild Cereal Gene Bank (ICGB) at the University of Haifa. These studies contribute to breeding programs that improve nutritional quality, disease resistance, and drought tolerance in modern wheat—continuing the legacy of wild Emmer wheat.
xplore the facility