Nursery set up to test plant suitability on The Palm, Jumeirah

Nakheel is currently hosting a series of highly innovative experiments to screen plants that can adapt best to the unique environment of The Palm developments and to evaluate technologies for environmental resource sustainability. The tests, which are being conducted in the specially constructed nursery, are designed to find out the optimal soil composition on the island and to identify which plants are most tolerant the growth conditions including salinity, draught and heat.

"These tests are part of our continuous efforts to maximize eco-system sustainability on the island," said Mr. Saeed Ahmed Saeed, Managing Director Projects, Nakheel. "Nakheel takes great care to ensure the highest international standards in environmental best practice are applied in the development and running of all our projects."

The nursery is divided in two sections, one for the screening of salt-tolerant plants and the second for the testing of soil composition. In the first section a total of 20 plant species are being evaluated over the 500 square meter site, these include various varieties of grasses, ground-covers, bushes, palms, trees and more. The species including plants such as Conocarpus, Atriplex, Sesevium, Tamarix, and others, are of both endogenous sources and from locations around the world with similar growth environments. The tests have encompassed irrigating the plants with pure seawater and combinations of sea and fresh water. "The results have been fascinating with a good number of the plants proving extremely robust," said Mr. Saeed.

The soil-composition study has focused on defining the optimal soil structure to maximize water retention and eliminate leaching of plant fertilizers to the surrounding waterways. Researchers have therefore blended a number of environmentally friendly materials that boast a high affinity to water with the soil to obtain the desired result. These materials include starch and petroleum-based gels. Again, according to Mr. Saeed the results have been very re-assuring, with some of the plants surviving on a quarter of the water that would have previously been needed prior to the soil amendments.

Overall, the objectives of the experiments are to: define which plants can survive on higher ratio of salinated water thus reducing the demand on de-salinated water resources; determine the optimal soil composition to retain plant water and hence reduce the volume of water required by each plant, whilst also decreasing the amount fertilizers needed as it is not being leached away; ascertain which plants are most adaptable to Dubai's environmental factors including heat, humidity and fluctuating water tables.

Testing at the nursery on the island commenced in late 2003 and is expected to continue through until 2005.

Located just off the coast of Dubai, the two palm tree shaped islands - The Palm, Jumeirah and The Palm, Jebel Ali - are expected to contribute to the city's position as a premier global tourist destination. The project will increase Dubai's shoreline by a total of 120km and create a large number of residential, leisure and entertainment opportunities, all within a unique and inspiring setting. The first of the two islands, The Palm, Jumeirah is expected to be completed towards the end of 2005, beginning of 2006.