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Drylands cover 40% of the world’s land area and support 2 billion people – 90 % are living in developing countries. At the same time, crop production in dryland has several challenges and is most affected by the variable climate (mainly rainfall variability and temperature extreme) and climate change than any other region in the globe. For sustaining agriculture production in rainfed drylands it is important to adopt agriculture practices including crops and crop varieties and management practices that are resilient and produce stable yields in such climatic conditions. International Centre for Agriculture Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has been working on several research and development activities with a major focus on dryland agriculture in the last 45 years. This presentation highlights the ICARDA’s s major agronomic research and its implication on crop productivity and resource use efficiency for dryland cereal production which are more suitable in the context of Turkey’s rainfed drylands.

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This Publication is an Abstracts book of the 13th Arab Congress of Plant Protection (13th ACPP), organized by the Arab Society of Plant Protection (ASPP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries of Tunisia, represented by the National Institute of Agronomic Research of Tunisia (INRAT), held during the period 16-21 October 2022 in Hammamet, Tunisia. The abstracts book contains 371 abstracts (Economic entomology, fungal diseases, bacterial diseases, viral diseases, phytoplasma, nematodes, weeds, chemical pesticides, plant extracts, IPM, biological control, climate change & plant protection, pest surveillance, soil-borne pathogens, food security & plant protection, and other) presented by scientists and graduate students from CWANA Countries, USA and Europe. In addition to the abstracts presented by scientists from the International Organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Center for Wheat and Maize (CIMMYT), the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), the European Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), The Mediterranean Phytopathological Union (MPU), the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD), the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), and the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS). The abstracts book was Edited by “Safaa G. Kumari, Khaled Makkouk, Mejda Daami-Remadi, Asma Najar, Hajer Ben Ghanem, Nader Asaad, Mohammad Kassem and Abdul Rahman Moukahel”; and published as a special issue of the Arab Journal of Plant Protection (AJPP), Volume 40, October 2022. 127 Pages (English) and 159 Pages (Arabic).

Germplasm exchange for research and breeding purposes is essential for crop improvement in the face of climate change and population growth. To contribute towards achieving sustainable development goals, the germplasm exchange need to accelerated to keep up with a world-changing food demand at an ever-increasing pace. However, the movement of living materials is not without the risk of inadvertent movement of associated organisms, including pests. Therefore, extreme care is required to ensure that exchanged germplasm is pest-free. The Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) is a global partnership that unites international organizations engaged in research about food security. CGIAR centers have established Germplasm health units (GHUs) to ensure the safety of exchanged plant materials, and compliance with the FAO International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) procedures and the International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) used by National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) to prevent the introduction and control the spread of pests along with plants or plant products. Within the framework of the CGIAR, ICARDA has the world mandate for the improvement of barley, lentil and faba bean. It also has a regional mandate for the improvement of wheat (bread and durum), Kabuli chickpea and pasture and forage crops in the dry areas, including the Arab region. The development of improved germplasm and elite genotypes for use by national, regional and international breeding programs is the major objective of the ICARDA crop improvement program. In order to safeguard countries from quarantine risks (insect pests, pathogens and weeds) associated with the movement of germplasm, ICARDA follows a regulatory and quarantine program working in close collaboration with competent institutions where ICARDA has platforms for crop breeding, germplasm multiplication and evaluation and genetic resources exchange in Lebanon and Morocco. ICARDA’s GHU is responsible for the monitoring, clearance and documentation of safe germplasm movement at the center, to do so, all incoming and outgoing genetic resources and breeding germplasm must go through a strict quarantine monitoring system (seed health testing, quarantine clearance based on national and international procedures and rules). Annually, ICARDA’s GHU tests more than 100,000 exchanged seed samples from ICARDA mandate crops to be distrusted for more than 70 countries, including Arab region. The center is fully equipped with a seed science and technology and data management staff, in addition to the necessary crop management and post-harvest seed operation facilities. The seed production process is monitored by an independent GHU in coordination with the quarantine systems of the host countries in which ICARDA operates. The role of ICARDA’s GHU in the safe exchange of germplasm in the Arab region will be presented.

In Tunisia, faba bean (Vicia faba) and chickpea (Cicer arietinum) are considered as strategic crops because of their economic and social relevance and significant direct contribution towards the national food balance. However, production levels of these crops remain quite low which is often attributed to abiotic and biotic stresses that are prevailing in the major growing areas. Viruses causing yellowing and stunting symptoms represent one of the major constraints that reduce the genetic potential of most cultivated species and varieties. To characterize these viruses in Tunisia, field surveys were conducted in five main regions (Béja, Bizerte, Cap-Bon, Jendouba and Kef) during 2018 and 2019 growing seasons. A total of 389 faba bean and 182 chickpea samples with yellowing and stunting symptoms were collected and tested by tissue blot immunoassay (TBIA) using specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Laboratory results showed that Chickpea chlorotic stunt virus (CpCSV) was the most common virus detected in 47.6% of faba bean and 18.7% of chickpea tested samples, followed by Beet western yellows virus (BWYV) (28% in faba bean and 4.4% in chickpea). Whereas, only 8.8% of faba bean samples were infected with Faba bean necrotic yellows virus (FBNYV), and Bean leafroll virus (BLRV) in faba bean (6.7%) and chickpea (9%) samples. To confirm the presence of yellowing viruses in Tunisia, total RNA was extracted from 5 faba bean and 27 chickpea samples that showed positive reaction to BLRV MAb (8 samples: 2 faba bean, 6 chickpea), BWYV MAb (7 samples: 2 faba bean, 5 chickpea) and CpCSV MAb (17 samples: 1 faba bean, 16 chickpea). Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed using specific luteovirus primer pairs. RT-PCR amplicons of the expected size of each primer were obtained from 32 samples and were sequenced in both directions. Molecular results showed that BWYV and CpCSV (both belong to genus Polerovirus, family Solemoviridae) and BLRV (belong to genus Luteovirus, family Tombusviridae) were identified in Tunisia, and the coat protein nucleotide sequence analysis of the Tunisian isolates showed 99% homology to Moroccan isolate (CpCSV), 97% homology to the French isolate (BWYV), and 98% homology to Argentina isolate (BLRV).

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) ranks third among the pulse crops that attribute to global food security. Viruses that cause yellowing and stunting symptoms are considered a main threat to chickpea production worldwide. Currently, there is a great interest in applying eco-friendly smart technologies to achieve best control results. Results of serological [Tissue blot immunoassay (TBIA)] and molecular assays [Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)] used in field surveys carried out during four growing seasons (2006, 2007, 2017 and 2018) in chickpea fields, revealed that the polerovirus Chickpea chlorotic stunt virus (CpCSV) was dominant in all seasons. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify practices to reduce the effect of viruses causing yellowing and stunting of chickpea under Syrian ecology. This approach included screening 80 chickpea genotypes for virus resistance (obtained from ICARDA Gene Bank under open filed conditions. To reduce virus incidence in the field several practices such as planting date, plant density, locations, cultivars (Ghab-3, Ghab-4, Ghab-5, promising variety FLIP95-65C and susceptible variety JG62), as well as intercropping between chickpea and other crops like flax (Linum usitatissimum), black cumin (Nigella sativa) and coriander (Coriandrum sativum) were evaluated. Results revealed that few chickpea genotypes (such as IG9000, IG69434, IG69656, IG69693, IG71832 and IG128651) were found resistant/tolerant for CpCSV and it could be used as a resistance source in chickpea breeding programs. Virus infection was decreased around 50-80% and crop yield was increased by 5-35% with high significant differences when chickpea was planted during the first half of December with plant density of 20-30 plants/m2. In addition, yield was improved with low virus infection when chickpea was intercropped with flax in alternate lines or with coriander (1 line of coriander each 5-6 chickpea lines). Generally, the results confirmed the importance of the interaction between a number of practices which together formed an integrated system that influenced virus spread and can be considered a potential approach for sustainable virus diseases management.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is the most produced and consumed grain in the world, and is an important source of food, forage and livestock feed in many developing countries including Morocco. Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the main fungal diseases of grain crops such as wheat, barley and maize caused by different species of the genus Fusarium. The FHB species complex produces mycotoxins that affect livestock feed, the baking, milling quality of wheat, the malting and brewing qualities of malt barley. Nine isolates of Fusarium spp. causing necrosis with typical FHB symptoms were isolated from infected barley genotypes planted at ICARDA’s Merchouch station, Rabat, Morocco. After seeds harvesting, all nine FHB isolates were purified and morphologically identified by characterizing their culture appearance (colony color, texture, form, and margin), shape and size of the macroconidia, and presence or absence of microconidia. Pathogenicity of these isolates was studied under controlled conditions using two inoculation methods (soil inoculation and hydroponic culture) on 12 barley varieties (Flinders, Litmus, Oxford, Commander, Latrobe, Vlaming, Fleet, Granger, Rosalind, Buloke, Keel and Campus). Morphological characterization using the Leslie and Summerell key, implied 5 different macroscopic and microscopic morphologies very similar to: Fusarium acuminatum (two isolates), F. crookwellense (two isolates), F. avenaceum (two isolates), F. sambucinum (one isolate) and Fusarium culmorum (two isolates). All 9 isolates caused FHB symptoms on all 12 barley varieties tested in both inoculation methods and the number of infected spikelets was assessed. Four barley varieties (Keel, Buloke, Latrobe and Commander) showed a heavy fungal infection (infected spikelet over 65%) and were considered susceptible to infection with the disease. Whereas, four barley varieties (Campus, Oxford, Vlaming and Granger) were resistant to the nine isolates compared to the other barley varieties (infected spikelet less than 35%). In addition, a significant difference (P < 0.05) was observed between Fusarium species.

The "Business models for small-scale mechanization of animal feed to improve farmers’ incomes, soil conservation and climate change adaptation/mitigation" presentation was delivered at the SIAT2022 organized in Tunisia during the period of 12-15 October 2022.