Knowledge Management Portal

The virtual visit brings the viewer among KM processes and practices at work. The objective is to provide a holistic overview of knowledge management and its importance in an organization: why, how and where an organization or institution can store, valorise and transfer the knowledge created. Special focus is on ICT based tools that can help knowledge management in achieving institutional goals through KM.

This study was conducted to identify stable resistance to net form of net blotch (NFNB) in spring barley in Moroccan environments. Seedling resistance to NFNB was evaluated by inoculating 336 barley genotypes with two NFNB isolates LDNH04Ptt‐19 and TD‐10 in the greenhouse. These genotypes were evaluated for adult plant resistance to NFNB under seven environments in Morocco in 2015 and 2016. The disease severity was estimated at GS 77–87 on barley leaves using a double‐digit scale. To investigate stability of resistance, 149 barley genotypes were subjected to AMMI analysis. At the seedling stage, differential responses of barley genotypes to different NFNB isolates were identified, whereas genotypes had variable stability to NFNB resistance at the adult stages. Five genotypes, AM‐68, AM‐95, AM‐250, AM‐267 and AM‐322, were resistant to both NFNB isolates at the seedling stage. There were significant (p < .001) effects of genotype (G) and G × E interaction on NFNB severity for barley genotypes at the adult stage. The principal components, IPCA1 and IPCA2, accounted for 48.4% and 18.7% variation for NFNB severity, respectively. The AMMI stability values (ASVs) ranged from 0.01 to 15.5, and fifty‐nine barley genotypes had stable responses (ASV ≤ 0.05) across all seven environments. Specifically, two stable genotypes, AM‐187 and AM‐244, had lower mean NFNB severities across all environments, suggesting a quantitative resistance in these genotypes. Divergent environmental responses of NFNB severity were measured in Sidi El Ayedi 2015 and Sidi Allal Tazi 2016, suggesting that these environments may be suitable to capture resistance to diverse pathotypes. These stable genotypes are valuable resources for introgression of both qualitative resistance and quantitative resistance to NFNB in future.

In the arid and semiarid regions, crops are seriously affected by many abiotic stresses. Drought and salinity are the main abiotic stresses that impact negatively plants growth by reducing directly the plants yields through disrupting the biochemical, physiological and genetic homeostasis within plant cells (Kavamura et al., 2013). In fact, both stresses impact negatively in the synthesis of plant growth regulators such as auxin, gibberellin and cytokinin and trigger the production of stress hormones like abscisic acid (ABA) and ethylene, which inhibit plant growth through several mechanisms (Yang et al., 2009).Plant-associated microbes, such as Rhizobia, play a vital role in plant growth under abiotic stress by modifying the root system, enhancing mobilization and the uptake of several essential elements, and modulating physiological parameters (Egamberdieva et al., 2018). In this study, we assessed some Plant Growth Promotion (PGP) traits of a group of Rhizobium strains isolated from root nodules of lentil, their growth tolerance under drought and salt conditions and their PGP activity under these abiotic conditions

Orobanche crenata Forssk., a root holoparasitic weed, represents a major biotic threat of legumes in the Mediterranean region. O. crenata could reduce the yield up to 90%. In this study, the effect of O. crenata on biomass production and partitioning of some faba bean and lentil cultivars were investigated through pot assays. During the first stage of infection, reductions in host biomass were observed on susceptible and resistant faba bean cultivars (53.84 and 27.02%, respectively for Lobab and Misr 3) and on susceptible lentil cultivar (Zaaria). However, during the last stage (host plant maturity), combined biomasses of susceptible faba bean (35.69 g) and lentil (8 g) cultivars were similar to those of non-infested plants (32.45 and 6.62 g, respectively). Considering biomass partitioning over the various host parts, O. crenata parasitism on susceptible faba bean and lentil cultivars greatly increased host root dry mater, but delayed and reduced host reproduction. The relative weight of parasite and host organs were also studied. Thus, a marked decrease of root relative weight was observed during the last developmental stages (up to 63%) accompanied simultaneously with the increase of relative parasitic weight (35.87%). Results suggested that legumes-O. crenata interactions were governed by growth-defense tradeoffs during the early stage of infection, whereas source-sink relationships explained the dry weight diversion from host to parasite during the last phases of the interaction.

The project aims to elaborate the knowledge management (KM) innovation plan as a tool to support the project partners/stakeholders in adopting an approach capable of identifying existing gaps in different knowledge management processes (discovery & detection/(identification), acquisition & creation, storage and sharing/transfer of knowledge) and related feasible solutions in order to act through capacity development actions. The pivotal step will be the identification of the knowledge and resources in the possession of each institution partner, in order to enhance what them and prioritize what they need and what could be done. Each organization will contribute to design a plan of actions for better knowledge management, aiming at improving the knowledge produced and that is in coherence with the institution’s strategy, vision and mission. These “innovation plans” will support the institutions involved in the project to enhance the existing KM framework or its development, outlining a set of activities and interventions tailored for each one of them. The “National Writeshops to Develop Capacity Building and Innovation Plans” for Moldova, Morocco and Sudan were conducted in said countries to gather the information needed to inform the Innovation Plans, together with the Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA). The writeshops were conducted divided into two parts: a) a basic introduction to KM (definition, processes, technologies, role of people, leadership, culture) that could be used as a guideline for partners to complete the b) second part that consists in identifying needs related to the KM processes and the feasible solutions to be proposed at capacity building level.

Mediterranean livestock farming systems have evolved to adapt to current and future pressures, including strong demographic growth and urbanization in the coastal zone, greater competition for land and water, and a big shift in the hinterland where farming activities are hardly maintained. We aim to explore future pathways for integrated crop-livestock systems in South and North Mediterranean countries to identify potential sustainable increases in efficiency and adaptability of resource utilization. The research was conducted in three countries, Egypt, France and Morocco, through case studies in a gradient of socio-ecological contexts, from favorable (plains and irrigated lands) to harsher ones (mountains, rain-fed areas). We mobilized farm surveys and monitoring, open-ended interviews, databases and previous studies. Based on a transversal analysis at the local level, we identified two main trends and five archetypical systems: (1) a centrifugal trend of specialization, towards cash crops or dairy herds in favorable areas, and pastoral system for meat production in harsher environments, and (2) a centripetal trend of diversification based on mixed crop-livestock systems in irrigation areas and agro-pastoral livestock-crop systems in intermediate rain-fed areas. The analysis showed an overwhelming antagonism between social vulnerability and ecological efficiency. Crop and livestock integration reduced the risk of biodiversity loss and low environmental efficiency observed in specialized systems, but mixed systems were more socially vulnerable. Those results call for dedicated rural development policies that favor the diversification as a lever of sustainable development but taking into account the land fragmentation and developing higher value added products chains. Taking advantage of spatial mobility abilities of livestock farming at the regional level, promoting collective actions must be encouraged to allow a wider range of livestock farmers in the hinterlands to live from their activities.

Domestic species such as cattle (Bos taurus taurus and B. t. indicus) represent attrac‐ tive biological models to characterize the genetic basis of short‐term evolutionary response to climate pressure induced by their post‐domestication history. Here, using newly generated dense SNP genotyping data, we assessed the structuring of genetic diversity of 21 autochtonous cattle breeds from the whole Mediterranean basin and performed genome‐wide association analyses with covariables discriminating the dif‐ ferent Mediterranean climate subtypes. This provided insights into both the demo‐ graphic and adaptive histories of Mediterranean cattle. In particular, a detailed functional annotation of genes surrounding variants associated with climate varia‐ tions highlighted several biological functions involved in Mediterranean climate adap‐ tation such as thermotolerance, UV protection, pathogen resistance or metabolism with strong candidate genes identified (e.g., NDUFB3, FBN1, METTL3, LEF1, ANTXR2 and TCF7). Accordingly, our results suggest that main selective pressures affecting cattle in Mediterranean area may have been related to variation in heat and UV expo‐ sure, in food resources availability and in exposure to pathogens, such as anthrax bacteria (Bacillus anthracis). Furthermore, the observed contribution of the three main bovine ancestries (indicine, European and African taurine) in these different popula‐ tions suggested that adaptation to local climate conditions may have either relied on standing genomic variation of taurine origin, or adaptive introgression from indicine origin, depending on the local breed origins. Taken together, our results highlight the genetic uniqueness of local Mediterranean cattle breeds and strongly support con‐ servation of these populations.

The aims of this study were to identify resistance to spot form of net blotch (SFNB) in spring barley and to investigate the stability of SFNB resistance in Morocco. The seedling resistance to SFNB was evaluated by inoculating 340 barley genotypes with the Pyrenophora teres F. maculata (Ptm) isolate FGOB10Ptm-1 (FGO) in the greenhouse. The same barely genotypes were evaluated for adult-stage plant resistance to SFNB in field trials in Morocco. All experiments were conducted in alpha-lattices with two replicates. SFNB disease severity was estimated on barley leaves using double digit scale. To investigate the stability of both qualitative and quantitative resistance to SFNB, 104 barley genotypes were subjected to AMMI analysis. Differential responses of SFNB barley resistance to FGO were found at the seedling stage in the greenhouse. Twelve genotypes showing scores of <1.5, at the seedling stage, were determined to be highly resistant to FGO. The ANOVA showed highly significant (p < 0.001) effects of genotype (G) and G × E (E-Pathotypes of SFNB) interaction on SFNB severity among the 340 barley genotypes at the adult plant stage. The AMMI ANOVA showed that IPCA1, IPCA2 and IPCA3 accounted for 77.9% of the variation of the G × E interaction for SFNB severity. The G × E interaction consisted of divergent genotypic responses to SFNB severity due to different pathotypes prevalent in hot-spot environments. The AMMI stability value demonstrated that barley genotypes AM-14, 30, 31, 68, 107, 108, 112, 149, 170, 185, 204, 240, 304, 326, 326 and 337 were resistant and stable across hot-spot environments against SFNB. Divergent environmental responses of SFNB were recorded in MCH_2015, SE_2015, AT_2016, SE_2016 and JS_2015. Stable SFNB resistant genotypes are valuable resources for the introgression of qualitative and quantitative resistance to barley in Morocco.