Comparative ecology of two specialist bees: Dasypoda visnaga Rossi, 1790 and Dasypoda maura Pérez, 1895 (Hymenoptera, Melittidae)
Many wild bee species are declining globally. To design efficient mitigation strategies to slow down or reverse these trends, we urgently need to better understand their basic ecological requirements. In this context, we studied two specialist...
Eye-balling and heart girth models for live weight estimation of highly admixed Sudani shorthorn zebu cattle for precise production and veterinary services
Cattle production is a key pillar of food security in Africa. The majority of African cattle is highly admixed with unknown breed composition. Accurate estimation of live weight (LW) of these cattle would improve the precision of feeding...
Genetic Diversity and Population Structure Analysis of Triticum aestivum L. Landrace Panel from Afghanistan
Landraces are a potential source of genetic diversity and provide useful genetic resources to cope with the current and future challenges in crop breeding. Afghanistan is located close to the centre of origin of hexaploid wheat. Therefore...
Conversion and Validation of Uniplex SNP Markers for Selection of Resistance to Cassava Mosaic Disease in Cassava Breeding Programs
Cassava mosaic disease (CMD) is a major viral disease adversely affecting cassava production in Africa and Asia. Genomic regions conferring resistance to the disease have been mapped in African cassava germplasm through biparental quantitative...
Antibioisis and antixenosis resistance to Dactylopius opuntiae (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) in Moroccan cactus germplasm
The wild cochineal, Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell), has become the main pest of the prickly pear [(Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) Miller] cactus crop in most of the Mediterranean countries, including Morocco since 2014. The use of D. opuntiae...
Community diversity, functional traits and adaptation of Stipa tenacissima L. under different grazing regimes in a North African arid montane rangeland
The mountain rangeland chain of Matmata (southern Tunisia) is characterised by an arid Mediterranean climate with severe droughts and high temperatures, combined with substantial human disturbance. In order to withstand these harsh conditions...
Comprehensive analysis of the gene expression profile of wheat at the crossroads of heat, drought and combined stress
Heat and drought are among the leading environmental stresses which have a major impact on plant development. In our research, identification and characterization of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) regulating the response of wheat to...
Lethal and sublethal effects of the insecticides d-limonene, mineral oil, and potassium salts of fatty acid on Dactylopius Opuntiae potential predator Cryptolaemus Montrouzieri
In the last few years, Dactylopius opuntiae has seriously harmed the cactus pear in Morocco. Chemical control and predators are presently the predominant method used to control this scale pest. In this study the lethal and sublethal effects of...
Socioeconomic, biophysical, and environmental impacts of raised beds in irrigated wheat: A case study from Egypt
Raised beds (RB) are hailed as means to mitigate the problem of excessive irrigation. However, their adoption and impacts in Egypt are not well-documented. This paper is based on survey data collected from a sample of 691 wheat fields drawn from...
Assessment of soil surface scarification and reseeding with sulla (Hedysarum coronarium L.) of degraded Mediterranean semi-arid rangelands
Climate change and degradation of natural resources pose daunting challenges in arid and semi-arid rangelands of southern Mediterranean region. Overcoming these challenges requires considerable management actions efforts. In this context, the...
