The National Research and Development Center for Sustainable Agriculture (Estidamah) conducted trials to evaluate Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) technology, with promising results in improving soil properties and enhancing its capacity to retain water and nutrients, while maintaining date palm productivity.
The evaluation results recorded a 25% reduction in the amount of irrigation water used, while the soil’s water-holding capacity increased to 75%, compared with approximately 60% before treatment. The percentage of water available to plants also increased to 16.8%, up from 11.7%.
The technology uses natural clay in liquid form to improve soil properties and increase its capacity to retain water and nutrients. This contributes to reducing water losses and enhancing water-use efficiency while maintaining agricultural productivity.
The evaluation results indicate that the technology could potentially reduce the agricultural sector’s water footprint by up to 25%. Its application in date palm irrigation is also expected to save approximately 600 million cubic meters of water, enhancing opportunities to improve the efficiency of water resource utilization.
These findings represent a research milestone toward expanding the use of modern technologies in soil and water management and developing more efficient agricultural practices suited to arid environments and water scarcity challenges, thereby contributing to the sustainability of agricultural production.
The technology evaluation was conducted in collaboration with Desert Control Saudi Arabia, the technology’s owner, as part of Estidamah’s efforts to conduct research and applied trials, evaluate modern agricultural solutions and technologies, and assess their potential to improve the efficiency of natural resource use while enhancing the sustainability of the agricultural sector and food security.