Khaberni - The National Center for Agricultural Research, with support from the Abdul Hameed Shoman Fund for Scientific Research, affiliated with the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation, carried out a research project during the years 2024 and 2025 to study the impact of using nano-fertilizers on pepper cultivation in Jordan.
The idea of the project came from the farmers' need for alternative solutions to deal with alkaline soil problems that limit the plant's ability to absorb nutrients when adding fertilizers by traditional methods, forcing them to use large quantities at high costs and with a negative environmental impact.
The project's lead researcher, Dr. Naeem Mazahreh, and his colleagues Dr. Ayman Ayyash and Dr. Riyadh Al-Sharif from the National Center, noted that their implementation of the project relied on preparing a compound of nano zinc extracted from the neem tree and adding it to chitosan, then spraying it on the pepper plant at studied concentrations. Field experiments have shown that this mixture not only contributes to improving plant growth and fruit quality but also to doubling the productivity of pepper compared to traditional methods, in addition to providing the plant with additional nutrients such as calcium and magnesium.
He confirmed that this approach helped to reduce the need for chemical fertilizers by up to 50%, reducing costs for farmers and protecting the environment. He noted that the results proved that the balanced concentration (200 ppm zinc oxide nano + 200 ppm chitosan) was the most effective, as it combined an increase in production both quantitatively and qualitatively while reducing costs without any impact on plant health.
He pointed out that this innovation represents a practical step towards more sustainable agriculture in Jordan and the region, as it helps to increase agricultural production efficiency, reduce financial burdens on farmers, and minimize the environmental impact of chemical fertilizers.
Farah Abu Aisha, Director of Communication and Public Relations at the Foundation, affirmed the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation's commitment to supporting scientific research and researchers to find innovative solutions to complex challenges facing communities, highlighting the pivotal role that scientific research and researchers play in spreading knowledge, expanding horizons, and finding practical solutions to society's problems and needs.
Abu Aisha also emphasized the importance of empowering and supporting scientific research and enhancing the link between its goals and outputs and the development and technological priorities within different sectors, necessarily guiding scientific research towards innovation.
It is noted that, starting from the belief of the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation in the importance of supporting and promoting scientific research at universities, institutions, and Jordanian scientific and research centers, and to reinforce the Foundation's goals within the leadership thought corner; The Foundation established the Abdul Hameed Shoman Fund for Scientific Research in 1999. Since the year 2000 until 2024, the fund has supported 150 research projects from 23 Jordanian universities and research institutions, resulting in the publication of 182 scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals, within the fields: medical and health sciences, engineering sciences, environmental and agricultural sciences, basic sciences, social sciences, economics, humanities, information technology, and digital economy.
Through the fund, the Shoman Foundation seeks to support research that relies on systematic analysis of society's problems, basic needs, economic and social aspirations, educational, cultural, environmental, and health aspects, thereby bridging scientific and technological institutions with surrounding communities and enhancing comprehensive development strategies, facilitating the Jordanian community's interaction with advanced societies.
Furthermore, the fund aims to provide researchers with the necessary tools to enter new realms of science and experience, emphasizing the role of research centers and universities as platforms for spreading knowledge, stimulating innovation, and finding solutions to local challenges for a sustainable and promising future.
